 South Korea began mass production of the world’s first-ever supersonic trainer jets, named T-50s, Tuesday under a 6.4-trillion-won ($6.2-billion) project aimed at promoting its military aviation industry. The project includes the development of supersonic fighter jets.
President Roh Moo-hyun visited a factory of the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in Sachon, South Kyongsang Province, which rolled out the first T-50 in the morning, to congratulate the nation for becoming the 12th country to produce supersonic aircraft.
``T-50s are one of the world’s best trainer jets, whose capability and stability have been proved,’’ he said in a speech during a ceremony. Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung and several lawmakers also attended the event.
``The country’s Air Force will acquire a state-of-the-art weaponry system when A-50 attack planes are developed and the procurement projects of next-generation fighter jets and the airborne early warning and control system are completed in the future,’’ Roh said.
The KAI plans to produce and deliver 94 T-50s to the Air Force by 2011, starting with two jets by the end of this year, according to officials at the state-run company.
Tuesday’s production has led South Korea to become the world’s first nation to develop a supersonic trainer jet and the 12th nation to develop supersonic aircraft.
South Korea launched the T-50 project in 1997 in a technological partnership with U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The local content of the craft, which currently stands at about 60 percent, will increase on a gradual basis.
The 13.13-meter-long, 9.45-meter-wide and 4.94-meter-high plane can fly at a maximum speed of Mach 1.4 and as high as 14,630 meters. The T-50 is equipped with a range of advanced systems to train pilots in both current and next-generation combat jets, as well as featuring sophisticated anti-air and anti-ground weapons systems.
Citing a market study by Teal Group, an aerospace and defense consulting firm based in Virginia, the United States, KAI officials said T-50s would dominate the world’s trainer jet markets.
The report predicted South Korea can expect to sell about 800-1,200 T-50s by 2030, which will account for 27-41 percent of the world’s trainer jet market. Each T-50 costs $22-23 million, higher than other competitive trainer jets.
<A href="mailto:jinryu@koreatimes.co.kr">jinryu@koreatimes.co.kr</A>
08-30-2005
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