First FA-50 warplane arrives in Poland, 47 more to come

Defense

Published: 13 Jul. 2023, 17:06 Updated: 13 Jul. 2023, 17:21

First FA-50 warplane arrives in Poland, 47 more to come

The first of 12 FA-50GF light attack aircraft to be delivered to Poland this year sits inside a hangar at the 23rd Air Base of the Polish air force near Minsk Mazowiecki, western Poland. [KOREA AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES]

The first Korean FA-50 light attack aircraft has arrived in Poland, just ten months after a landmark defense deal designed to upgrade the eastern European country’s arsenal.

Thursday’s announcement by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the country’s sole aircraft manufacturer, marks a lightning turnaround in an industry where the first deliveries typically take years, not months, to take place.

According to KAI, the first FA-50GF plane arrived in Poland on Sunday and underwent an inspection at the 23rd Air Base of the Polish air force near Minsk Mazowiecki in western Poland.

The aircraft are formally designated as FA-50GF, with the GF standing for “gap-filler,” highlighting the jets’ intended role as replacements for Poland’s aging fleet.

The newly delivered FA-50GF will undergo additional checks during its acceptance flight by the Polish air force, which is scheduled to take place in early August.

KAI is scheduled to deliver 11 more FA-50s before the end of the year as part of a contract it signed with Poland’s Armament Agency to supply Warsaw with a total of 48 FA-50 aircraft.

The other 36 FA-50 jets that are scheduled for delivery between 2025 and 2028 will be an upgraded version, named the FA-50PL.

Improvements that distinguish the FA-50PL from the FA-50GF include an expanded range through an aerial refueling function, an enhanced active electronically scanned array radar and its ability to carry air-to-surface and air-to-air weapons, according to KAI.

Poland became the largest customer of Korean defense systems last year after it signed contracts worth $14 billion to acquire 180 K-2 main battle tanks, 212 K-9 self-propelled howitzers and 48 FA-50 light fighters.

The deals are part of a massive rearmament push by Warsaw amid the ongoing Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

The announcement of the first FA-50 delivery came on the second day of Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s three-day official visit to Poland, which has emerged as a key partner in Korea's push to pursue defense industry cooperation with NATO countries.

Yoon's arrival in Poland follows his attendance at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania from Tuesday to Wednesday.

Poland’s largest defense company, Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ), has also expressed interest in Korea’s KF-21 Boramae multirole fighter project, according to a recent report by Polish media.

PGZ officials told the Polish news outlet Defence24 in May that they are eyeing 2026 as the timeframe where they would commit to the KF-21 program.

The sources also told Defence24 that “it is possible there will be future industrial cooperation in the development and production of the KF-21 Boramae, where the natural partner for KAI would be, among others, Wojskowe Zaklady Lotnicze [Military Aviation Plant] No. 2 in Bydgoszcz.”

That plant is a leader in aviation assembly and maintenance in Poland, with experience in the maintenance and restoration of F-16s and the C-130 Hercules.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]