KAI Charts Out Single-Seat FA-50 Road Map

FA-50

KAI's latest FA-50 concept on display at Seoul ADEX 2023.

Credit: Kim Minseok

SEONGNAM, South Korea—Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is currently conducting studies to improve the FA-50's capabilities to fulfill potential export and Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) requirements, including a three-part modification that would see the development of a single-seat FA-50.

KAI said at the Seoul ADEX 2023 airshow that the ROKAF and another unnamed export customer had joined Poland in asking for improvements to the FA-50's operational capabilities, and studies are now underway to meet these needs.

In May 2022, KAI proposed an FA-50 midlife upgrade (MLU) program tailored to ROKAF requirements, including replacing the cockpit multi-function display with the new large-area display (LAD)—used on the KF-21 Boramae fighter—which would make it similar to the Polish FA-50PL variant.

The ROKAF is considering a domestically produced active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for the FA-50. This would be either LIG Nex1's ESR-500A or Hanwha Systems' new LCA AESA radar, KAI said. The FA-50MLU will also integrate a South Korean-developed medium-range air-to-surface missile and a short-range air-to-air missile.

Research is also underway to increase the operational range of the FA-50 by 20%. Currently, the FA-50 has an operational range of 2,592 km (1,610 mi.) on a single 150-gal. fuel tank.

KAI is exploring how to increase the volume of the fighter's internal fuel tanks by 5% as well as developing a 300-gal. external fuel tank—although the latter option would take up space needed for the Lockheed Martin Sniper advanced targeting pod.

Kim Minseok

Kim Minseok covers South Korean defense. He has worked as a journalist for South Korean military magazines Military Review and Defense Times. Mr Kim is also a research fellow at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, a think tank.

Chen Chuanren

Chen Chuanren is the Southeast Asia and China Editor for the Aviation Week Network’s (AWN) Air Transport World (ATW) and the Asia-Pacific Defense Correspondent for AWN, joining the team in 2017.