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KAI T-50 / FA-50 Golden Eagle

2005 MODERN AIRCRAFT

History of KAI T-50 / FA-50 Golden Eagle

The T-50/A-50 "Golden Eagle" is an advanced supersonic trainer and low-impact aircraft platform jointly manufactured by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Lockheed Martin of the United States. The resulting design was a significantly improved derivative of the Lockheed Martin (formerly General Dynamics) F-16 "Fighting Falcon", which KAI was licensed as the "KF-16" (the wing shape and single rudder design were evident) . The two Golden Eagle trainers were procured by the ROK Air Force in limited quantities.

The T-50 series is designed to replace some of the ROK Air Force's active but aging platforms. What's more, Lockheed Martin's involvement ensures that the U.S. company will help develop the next generation of advanced trainers capable of teaching a new generation of fighter pilots -- especially those likely to land soon after the Lockheed F-22 Raptor. of the pilot in the cockpit.

Lockheed F-35 Lightning II, French Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon. Similar to the previous F-16 Fighting Falcon, the T-50 features a large glass canopy (pilot tandem), a wide-area vertical stabilizer, and a General Electric F404-series turbofan engine.

Funding for the development of the system is split between the two companies involved, with the South Korean government covering all remaining costs. The prototype made its maiden flight on August 20, 2002. Before that, the entire F-50 program suffered financial setbacks before getting back on track.

The T-50 entered service on February 22, 2002. Since then, it has also been adopted by the Indonesian Air Force since 2013 (16 aircraft - 12 T-50 and 4 TA-50). Production of the T-50 aircraft began in 2001 and continues to this day (2013).

South Korea manages 102 aircraft, including 50 T-50s, 10 T-50Bs, 22 TA-50s and 20 FA-50s (the latter on order since 2013).

Preliminary evaluations during development suggested the aircraft exceeded Mach 1.0, although the design was initially estimated to be capable of 1,100 mph at an altitude of 10,000 feet. Range is 1,150 miles and service is capped at 48,000 feet. Triple redundant, digital fly-by-wire technology is used for precision handling, and both cockpits provide dual control (as the T-50 can be used as an attack aircraft or advanced trainer).

The main pilot/student lives in the front cockpit and the co-pilot/instructor lives in the back seat. Avionics include the AN/APG-67 Pulse Doppler Radar (for the T-50) and the advanced EL/M-2032 Pulse Doppler Fire Control Radar (for the TA-50 and FA-50 brands).

The "Golden Eagle" was marketed as an advanced trainer, codenamed T-50, as a "fighter import" platform, codenamed TA-50, and as a light strike capable variant, codenamed FA-50. These The main difference between aircraft is the type of internal systems installed to accomplish the required mission. The trainer does not have internal cannons or advanced radar, while the FA-50 is designed for day and night operations. The TA-50 is an intermediate design that combines applications from both aircraft. All variants offer space for two people.

The T-50B is a highly specialized, high-performance aerobatic demonstration aircraft developed for the eight aircraft of the 53rd Flight Demonstration Group of the South Korean "Black Hawk".

In the Armed Assault role, the Golden Eagle can be equipped with a variety of conventional ammunition to meet mission requirements. A standard General Dynamics A-50 internal 20mm Gatling cannon (three-barreled version of the M61 Vulcan) was designated for close range work, as were orbital launchers on each wingtip of the AIM-9 Sidewinder Short-range air-to-air rockets.

In addition, the aircraft can use a variety of underwing weapons, as well as external fuel tanks. Weapon options include air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles (including the AGM-65 Maverick), unguided missile pods, general-purpose projectile bombs, cluster bombs, and precision-guided projectile bombs.

Korea failed to get both Singapore and Israel interested in their T-50 mounts. Potential sales are high in Botswana, Chile and the Philippines.