T-50 Golden Eagle
Encyclopedia
The T-50 Golden Eagle is a family of South Korean supersonic advanced trainers and multirole fighters, developed by Korea Aerospace Industries beginning in the late 1990s. The T-50 is South Korea's first indigenous supersonic
aircraft and one of the world's few supersonic trainers. It took its maiden flight in 2002 and entered active service with the Republic of Korea Air Force
in 2005.
The T-50 advanced trainer had been further developed into aerobatic and combat variants, namely T-50B, TA-50, and FA-50. Ten T-50B serve with the South Korean air force's aerobatics team. In 2011, the first squadron of TA-50, T-50's light attack variant, had become operational. The maiden flight of FA-50, T-50's multirole fighter variant with comparable capabilities to KF-16, had also taken place in 2011. First FA-50 production for 60 aircraft will commence in 2013 until 2016.
As of 2011, sixteen TA-50 light attack variants of the family has been exported to Indonesia
, and additional export orders are being pursued in countries such as Iraq
, Israel
, Poland
, the Philippines
, and Spain
. T-50 is also being marketed as a candidate for the T-X program of the United States
as the United States Air Force
's next-generation advanced trainer. The T-50 is the proposed base for the F-50 next-generation indigenous fighter.
capable of supersonic flight, to train and prepare pilots for the KF-16
and F-15K, replacing trainers such as T-38
and A-37
that were then in service with the Republic of Korea Air Force
. Prior South Korean aircraft programs include the propeller-driven KT-1 basic trainer produced by Daewoo Aerospace (now part of KAI), and license-manufactured KF-16. In general, the T-50 series of aircraft closely resembles the KF-16 in configuration.
The mother program, code-named KTX-2, began in 1992, but the Ministry of Finance and Economy suspended KTX-2 in 1995 due to financial constraints. The basic design of the aircraft was set by 1999. The development of the aircraft was funded 13% by Lockheed Martin, 17% by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), and 70% by the government of South Korea.
The aircraft was formally designated as T-50 Golden Eagle in February 2000. The T-50A designation was reserved by the U.S. military
to prevent to it from being inadvertently assigned to another aircraft model. Final assembly of the first T-50 took place between 15 January and 14 September 2001. The first flight of the T-50 took place in August 2002, and initial operational assessment from 28 July to 14 August 2003. KAI and Lockheed Martin are currently pursuing a joint marketing program for the T-50 variant internationally. The South Korean air force placed a production contract for 25 T-50s in December 2003, with aircraft scheduled to be delivered between 2005 and 2009. Original T-50 are equipped with the AN/PG-67(v)4 radar from Lockheed Martin.
, air-to-air missiles, and air-to-ground missiles. TA-50 can mount additional utility pods for reconnaissance, targeting assistance, and electronic warfare. Reconnaissance and electronic warfare variants are also being developed designated as RA-50 and EA-50.
The FA-50 is the most advanced version of the T-50. It equips a modified Israel
i EL/M-2032
pulse-Doppler radar
with further Korean-specific augmentations by LIG Nex1, and has more internal fuel capacity, enhanced avionics, a longer radome and a tactical datalink. The EL/M-2032 was initially chosen over Lockheed Martin
's preferred AN/APG-67(V)4 radar or the SELEX Vixen 500E
AESA
radar, though other AESA radars such as Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar and Northrop Grumman
's Scalable Agile Beam Radar
still remain options for future production. In December 2008, South Korea awarded a contract to Korea Aerospace Industries to convert four T-50s to FA-50 standards by 2012. The Republic of Korea Air Force has requested to have 60 FA-50 fighters in service by 2013, and plans to acquire a total of 150 FA-50 fighters to replace F-4 Phantom II
and Northrop F-5 fighters.
The T-50 is the proposed base for the more advanced F-50 fighter with strengthened wings, AESA radar, more internal fuel, enhanced electronic warfare capability, and a more powerful engine. Wing strengthening is required to support three underwing weapons pylons, as opposed to two underwing pylons on the TA-50 or FA-50. The AESA radar was expected to be RACR, which has 90% commonality with the AESA radar of the Super Hornet, or SABR, both of which are competing for KF-16's AESA radar upgrade program. The aircraft was altered to a single-seat configuration to allow more space for internal fuel and electronic warfare equipment. The engine could be either EJ200 or F414, upgraded to 20,000 lb or 22,000 lb thrust, which is about 12-25% higher than the F404's thrust. The engines are already being offered for the baseline T-50 for future customers. A similar Korean-led international fighter program exists named the KAI KF-X.
The T-50 Golden Eagle design is largely derived from the Lockheed Martin
F-16 Fighting Falcon
, and they have many similarities: use of a single engine, speed, size, cost, and the range of weapons. KAI's previous engineering experience in license-producing the KF-16 was a starting point for the development of the T-50.
The trainer can carry two pilots in tandem seating. The high-mounted canopy
developed by Hankuk Fiber is applied with stretched acrylic, providing the pilots with good visibility, and has been tested to offer the canopy with ballistic protection against 4-lb objects impacting at 400 knots. The altitude limit is 14,600 metres (48,000 ft), and airframe is designed to last 8,000 hours of service. There are seven internal fuel tanks with capacity of 2,655 litres (701 US gal), five in the fuselage and two in the wings. An additional 1,710 litres (452 US gal) of fuel can be carried in the three external fuel tanks. T-50 trainer variants have a paint scheme of white and red, and aerobatic variants white, black, and yellow.
The T-50 Golden Eagle uses a single General Electric F404-102 turbofan
engine license-produced by Samsung Techwin
, upgraded with a Full Authority Digital Engine Control
(FADEC) system jointly developed by General Electric
and Korea Aerospace Industries. The engine consists of three-staged fans, seven axial stage arrangement, and an afterburner
. The aircraft has a maximum speed of Mach
1.4-1.5. Its engine produces a maximum of 78.7 kN (17,700 lbf
) of thrust with afterburner. The General Electric F414
engine has been suggested as the new engine for the T-50 family, as well as Rolls Royce
's EJ200 to allow better compatibility with European air forces. Both engines provide more thrust compared to the F404.
and its operating system
are developed by MDS Technology. The T-50's NEOS avionics operating system is the first and only real-time operating system
to be developed by an Asian company, and is given the DO-178B
and IEEE POSIX
certification. Samsung Thales
and LIG Nex1
are the main avionics
and electronic warfare
equipment developers for T-50 and its variants. Other South Korean companies and defense institutes such as DoDAAM Systems, Aeromaster, Intellics, and Korea Institute of Defense Analysis are responsible for the aircraft's secondary avionics and embedded systems, including store management computers, avionics testing equipment, flight data recorders, portable maintenance aids, data analysis software, post-flight data processing system, aircraft structure and engine management software, mission computer, and mission planning and support system.
Hanwha
supplies the mechanical parts for the flight control system, and WIA
supplies the undercarriage
. The T-50 is equipped with a Honeywell
H-764G embedded global positioning/inertial navigation system
and HG9550 radar altimeter
. The aircraft is the first trainer to feature the digital fly-by-wire
control interface (triple redundant). The cockpit panels, switches, and joysticks are produced by South Korea's FirsTec and Sungjin Techwin, head-up display
by DoDaaM Systems, and multi-function display
by Samsung Thales. Other South Korean subcontractors such as Elemech, Dawin Friction, and Withus cooperate in T-50 components production.
A-50 20 mm cannon internally behind the cockpit
. The cannon is a three-barreled version of the M61 Vulcan
, with 205 rounds of linkless ammunition. AIM-9 Sidewinder
s can be attached at each of the wingtip rails, and additional weapons can be mounted to underwing hardpoint
s. Compatible air-to-surface
weapons include the AGM-65 Maverick
missile, Hydra 70
and LOGIR
rocket launchers, CBU-58 and Mk-20 cluster bombs, and Mk-82, −83, and −84 general purpose bombs.
FA-50 can be externally fitted with Rafael's Sky Shield or LIG Nex1's ALQ-200K ECM pods, Sniper
or LITENING targeting pod
s, and Condor 2 reconnaissance pods to further improve the fighter's electronic warfare, reconnaissance, and targeting capabilities. Other improved weapon systems over TA-50 include SPICE
multifunctional guidance kits, Textron CBU-97/105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon with WCMD
tail kits, JDAM, and JDAM-ER for more comprehensive air-to-ground operations, and AIM-120 missiles for BVR air-to-air operations. FA-50 has provisions for, but does not yet integrate, Python and Derby missiles, also produced by Rafael, and other anti-ship missiles, stand-off weapons, and sensors to be domestically developed by Korea.
order for 16 aircraft with ex-Finnish Air Force
BAE Hawk 51s
, refurbished by the Finnish
defence company, Patria
. In 2010 a new tender for advanced jet trainer and lead-in fighter trainer aircraft was issued. Competing aircraft include the T-50P, M-346, and Hawk T2/128. In 2011, BAE announced that it had withdrawn from the contest, leaving M-346 and T-50P as its remaining two contenders. The winner of this competition is planned to begin replacing the PZL TS-11 Iskra
by 2013.
Indonesia
had been considering the T-50 to replace the BAE Hawk and A-4 Skyhawk
as the T-50 had excellent interoperability with the current Indonesian F-16s. In 2010, Indonesia announced that T-50 was one of three candidates for its advanced jet trainer requirement, along with Yak-130 and L-159. Indonesia planned to buy 16 of these advanced trainer aircraft. In May 2011, Indonesia signed a contract to order 16 TA-50 for $400 million. The aircraft will feature weapons pylons and gun modules, enabling light attack capabilities.
Iraq
was negotiating the acquisition of T-50 trainer jets, having first publicly expressed official interest during the Korea-Iraq summit
in Seoul on 24 February 2009. In April 2010, Iraq has reopened the jet lead-in fighter-trainer competition for 24 aircraft, in which TA-50 will compete.
Israel
has been evaluating the T-50 as a possible replacement for its Douglas TA-4H Skyhawk trainers since 2003.
The Philippines
is looking for six light attack jets as part of its emergency plan to boost maritime patrol capability. TA-50 is one of the contenders along with M-346.
Singapore
evaluated the T-50 against the Italian Alenia Aermacchi M-346 and the BAE Hawk for a $500 million trainer acquisition program contract for 12–16 aircraft. The Singapore Ministry of Defense eventually selected the M-346 aircraft ahead of T-50 and BAE Hawk in July 2010.
The United Arab Emirates
is seeking 35–40 fighter-trainers. In February 2009, UAE selected the M-346 over the T-50. But in January 2010, UAE reopened the trainer contest. In 2011, it was confirmed that T-50 is still competing in UAE.
In the United States
, South Korea will attempt to trade T-50s for F-35s, assuming that it can find an American need for such an aircraft. T-50 is one of the contenders for the US Air Force's T-X program, with an export opportunity for up to 300 to 1000 aircraft, which is about $6 billion to $20 billion at 2008 flyaway cost. A possible reciprocal sale of F-35 to Korea will be 60 aircraft, valued at $8 billion.
T-50B
T-50P
TA-50
FA-50
Republic of Korea Armed Forces
Supersonic
Supersonic speed is a rate of travel of an object that exceeds the speed of sound . For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C this speed is approximately 343 m/s, 1,125 ft/s, 768 mph or 1,235 km/h. Speeds greater than five times the speed of sound are often...
aircraft and one of the world's few supersonic trainers. It took its maiden flight in 2002 and entered active service with the Republic of Korea Air Force
Republic of Korea Air Force
The Republic of Korea Air Force is the air force of South Korea...
in 2005.
The T-50 advanced trainer had been further developed into aerobatic and combat variants, namely T-50B, TA-50, and FA-50. Ten T-50B serve with the South Korean air force's aerobatics team. In 2011, the first squadron of TA-50, T-50's light attack variant, had become operational. The maiden flight of FA-50, T-50's multirole fighter variant with comparable capabilities to KF-16, had also taken place in 2011. First FA-50 production for 60 aircraft will commence in 2013 until 2016.
As of 2011, sixteen TA-50 light attack variants of the family has been exported to Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, and additional export orders are being pursued in countries such as Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. T-50 is also being marketed as a candidate for the T-X program of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
's next-generation advanced trainer. The T-50 is the proposed base for the F-50 next-generation indigenous fighter.
Origins
The T-50 program was originally intended to develop an indigenous trainer aircraftTrainer (aircraft)
A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate in-flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristics and a simplified cockpit arrangement—allows...
capable of supersonic flight, to train and prepare pilots for the KF-16
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
and F-15K, replacing trainers such as T-38
T-38 Talon
The Northrop T-38 Talon is a twin-engine supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer and is also the most produced. The T-38 remains in service as of 2011 in air forces throughout the world....
and A-37
A-37 Dragonfly
The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is a United States light attack aircraft developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer in the 1960s and 1970s...
that were then in service with the Republic of Korea Air Force
Republic of Korea Air Force
The Republic of Korea Air Force is the air force of South Korea...
. Prior South Korean aircraft programs include the propeller-driven KT-1 basic trainer produced by Daewoo Aerospace (now part of KAI), and license-manufactured KF-16. In general, the T-50 series of aircraft closely resembles the KF-16 in configuration.
The mother program, code-named KTX-2, began in 1992, but the Ministry of Finance and Economy suspended KTX-2 in 1995 due to financial constraints. The basic design of the aircraft was set by 1999. The development of the aircraft was funded 13% by Lockheed Martin, 17% by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), and 70% by the government of South Korea.
The aircraft was formally designated as T-50 Golden Eagle in February 2000. The T-50A designation was reserved by the U.S. military
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
to prevent to it from being inadvertently assigned to another aircraft model. Final assembly of the first T-50 took place between 15 January and 14 September 2001. The first flight of the T-50 took place in August 2002, and initial operational assessment from 28 July to 14 August 2003. KAI and Lockheed Martin are currently pursuing a joint marketing program for the T-50 variant internationally. The South Korean air force placed a production contract for 25 T-50s in December 2003, with aircraft scheduled to be delivered between 2005 and 2009. Original T-50 are equipped with the AN/PG-67(v)4 radar from Lockheed Martin.
Improved versions
The program has expanded beyond a trainer concept to include the TA-50 light attack aircraft, as well as the FA-50 multirole fighter comparable to KF-16. The TA-50 variant is a more heavily armed version of the T-50 trainer, intended for lead-in fighter training and light attack roles. The TA-50 is designed to operate as a full-fledged combat platform for precision-guided weaponsPrecision-guided munition
A precision-guided munition is a guided munition intended to precisely hit a specific target, and to minimize damage to things other than the target....
, air-to-air missiles, and air-to-ground missiles. TA-50 can mount additional utility pods for reconnaissance, targeting assistance, and electronic warfare. Reconnaissance and electronic warfare variants are also being developed designated as RA-50 and EA-50.
The FA-50 is the most advanced version of the T-50. It equips a modified Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i EL/M-2032
EL/M-2032
The EL/M-2032 is an advanced pulse Doppler, multimode Fire Control Radar intended for multi-role fighter aircraft originated from the Lavi project. It is suitable for air-to-air and air-to-surface modes....
pulse-Doppler radar
Pulse-doppler radar
Pulse-Doppler is a 4D radar system capable of detecting both target 3D location as well as measuring radial velocity . It uses the Doppler effect to avoid overloading computers and operators as well as to reduce power consumption...
with further Korean-specific augmentations by LIG Nex1, and has more internal fuel capacity, enhanced avionics, a longer radome and a tactical datalink. The EL/M-2032 was initially chosen over Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
's preferred AN/APG-67(V)4 radar or the SELEX Vixen 500E
SELEX Galileo
SELEX Galileo is a major defence electronics company that specialises in surveillance, protection, tracking, targeting, navigation and control, and imaging systems. It is owned by the Italian company Finmeccanica....
AESA
Active Electronically Scanned Array
An Active Electronically Scanned Array , also known as active phased array radar is a type of phased array radar whose transmitter and receiver functions are composed of numerous small solid-state transmit/receive modules . AESAs aim their "beam" by broadcasting radio energy that interfere...
radar, though other AESA radars such as Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar and Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
's Scalable Agile Beam Radar
Scalable Agile Beam Radar
The Northrop Grumman Scalable Agile Beam Radar will be a full performance fire control AESA. SABR will offer all the advantages of an active electronically scanned multi-function array, but at significant cost savings...
still remain options for future production. In December 2008, South Korea awarded a contract to Korea Aerospace Industries to convert four T-50s to FA-50 standards by 2012. The Republic of Korea Air Force has requested to have 60 FA-50 fighters in service by 2013, and plans to acquire a total of 150 FA-50 fighters to replace F-4 Phantom II
F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
and Northrop F-5 fighters.
The T-50 is the proposed base for the more advanced F-50 fighter with strengthened wings, AESA radar, more internal fuel, enhanced electronic warfare capability, and a more powerful engine. Wing strengthening is required to support three underwing weapons pylons, as opposed to two underwing pylons on the TA-50 or FA-50. The AESA radar was expected to be RACR, which has 90% commonality with the AESA radar of the Super Hornet, or SABR, both of which are competing for KF-16's AESA radar upgrade program. The aircraft was altered to a single-seat configuration to allow more space for internal fuel and electronic warfare equipment. The engine could be either EJ200 or F414, upgraded to 20,000 lb or 22,000 lb thrust, which is about 12-25% higher than the F404's thrust. The engines are already being offered for the baseline T-50 for future customers. A similar Korean-led international fighter program exists named the KAI KF-X.
Overview
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
F-16 Fighting Falcon
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
, and they have many similarities: use of a single engine, speed, size, cost, and the range of weapons. KAI's previous engineering experience in license-producing the KF-16 was a starting point for the development of the T-50.
The trainer can carry two pilots in tandem seating. The high-mounted canopy
Canopy (aircraft)
An aircraft canopy is the transparent enclosure over the cockpit of some types of aircraft. The function of the canopy is to provide a weatherproof and reasonably quiet environment for the aircraft's occupants. The canopy will be as aerodynamically shaped as possible to minimize drag.-History:Very...
developed by Hankuk Fiber is applied with stretched acrylic, providing the pilots with good visibility, and has been tested to offer the canopy with ballistic protection against 4-lb objects impacting at 400 knots. The altitude limit is 14,600 metres (48,000 ft), and airframe is designed to last 8,000 hours of service. There are seven internal fuel tanks with capacity of 2,655 litres (701 US gal), five in the fuselage and two in the wings. An additional 1,710 litres (452 US gal) of fuel can be carried in the three external fuel tanks. T-50 trainer variants have a paint scheme of white and red, and aerobatic variants white, black, and yellow.
The T-50 Golden Eagle uses a single General Electric F404-102 turbofan
Turbofan
The turbofan is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used for aircraft propulsion. A turbofan combines two types of engines, the turbo portion which is a conventional gas turbine engine, and the fan, a propeller-like ducted fan...
engine license-produced by Samsung Techwin
Samsung Techwin
Samsung Techwin is a surveillance, aeronautics, optoelectronics, automations and defense company. It is a subsidiary of Samsung Group. The company employs 4720 employees and is headquartered in South Korea. Its totals sales in 2010 was 3,198 billion won....
, upgraded with a Full Authority Digital Engine Control
FADEC
Full Authority Digital Engine Control is a system consisting of a digital computer, called an electronic engine controller or engine control unit , and its related accessories that control all aspects of aircraft engine performance...
(FADEC) system jointly developed by General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
and Korea Aerospace Industries. The engine consists of three-staged fans, seven axial stage arrangement, and an afterburner
AfterBurner
The AfterBurner is a lighting solution for the Game Boy Advance system that was created by Triton-Labs.Originally, portablemonopoly.net was a website created to petition Nintendo to put some kind of light in their Game Boy Advance system...
. The aircraft has a maximum speed of Mach
Mach number
Mach number is the speed of an object moving through air, or any other fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance for its particular physical conditions, including those of temperature and pressure...
1.4-1.5. Its engine produces a maximum of 78.7 kN (17,700 lbf
Pound-force
The pound force is a unit of force in some systems of measurement including English engineering units and British gravitational units.- Definitions :...
) of thrust with afterburner. The General Electric F414
General Electric F414
The General Electric F414 is an afterburning turbofan engine in the 22,000 lbf thrust class produced by GE Aviation. The F414 was developed from GE's widely-used F404 turbofan for use in the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.-Origin:...
engine has been suggested as the new engine for the T-50 family, as well as Rolls Royce
Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce Group plc is a global power systems company headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second-largest maker of aircraft engines , and also has major businesses in the marine propulsion and energy sectors. Through its defence-related activities...
's EJ200 to allow better compatibility with European air forces. Both engines provide more thrust compared to the F404.
Avionics
The T-50's central processing unitCentral processing unit
The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
and its operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
are developed by MDS Technology. The T-50's NEOS avionics operating system is the first and only real-time operating system
Real-time operating system
A real-time operating system is an operating system intended to serve real-time application requests.A key characteristic of a RTOS is the level of its consistency concerning the amount of time it takes to accept and complete an application's task; the variability is jitter...
to be developed by an Asian company, and is given the DO-178B
DO-178B
DO-178B, Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification is a document dealing with the safety of software used in airborne systems....
and IEEE POSIX
POSIX
POSIX , an acronym for "Portable Operating System Interface", is a family of standards specified by the IEEE for maintaining compatibility between operating systems...
certification. Samsung Thales
Samsung Group
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
and LIG Nex1
LIG Nex1
LIG Nex1 is a South Korean Aerospace and Defence company, which is part of LG Corp. It was formerly known as NEX1 Future and before that, as LG Innotek. It was established in 1976 as Goldstar Precision....
are the main avionics
Avionics
Avionics are electronic systems used on aircraft, artificial satellites and spacecraft.Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems and the hundreds of systems that are fitted to aircraft to meet individual roles...
and electronic warfare
Electronic warfare
Electronic warfare refers to any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults via the spectrum. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent the advantage of, and ensure friendly...
equipment developers for T-50 and its variants. Other South Korean companies and defense institutes such as DoDAAM Systems, Aeromaster, Intellics, and Korea Institute of Defense Analysis are responsible for the aircraft's secondary avionics and embedded systems, including store management computers, avionics testing equipment, flight data recorders, portable maintenance aids, data analysis software, post-flight data processing system, aircraft structure and engine management software, mission computer, and mission planning and support system.
Hanwha
Hanwha
Hanwha Group is one of the largest business conglomerate in South Korea. Founded in 1952 as Korea Explosives Inc. , the group has grown into a large multi-profile business conglomerate, with diversified holdings stretching from explosives, their original business, to retail to financial...
supplies the mechanical parts for the flight control system, and WIA
Hyundai Wia
With its headquarters located in the southeastern parts of South Korea within anindustrial city named Changwon, The Hyundai Wia Corporation is a member of the Hyundai Motor Group and is the 2nd biggestautomotive parts manufacturer in South Korea....
supplies the undercarriage
Undercarriage
The undercarriage or landing gear in aviation, is the structure that supports an aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi, takeoff and land...
. The T-50 is equipped with a Honeywell
Honeywell
Honeywell International, Inc. is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....
H-764G embedded global positioning/inertial navigation system
Inertial navigation system
An inertial navigation system is a navigation aid that uses a computer, motion sensors and rotation sensors to continuously calculate via dead reckoning the position, orientation, and velocity of a moving object without the need for external references...
and HG9550 radar altimeter
Radar altimeter
A radar altimeter, radio altimeter, low range radio altimeter or simply RA measures altitude above the terrain presently beneath an aircraft or spacecraft...
. The aircraft is the first trainer to feature the digital fly-by-wire
Fly-by-wire
Fly-by-wire is a system that replaces the conventional manual flight controls of an aircraft with an electronic interface. The movements of flight controls are converted to electronic signals transmitted by wires , and flight control computers determine how to move the actuators at each control...
control interface (triple redundant). The cockpit panels, switches, and joysticks are produced by South Korea's FirsTec and Sungjin Techwin, head-up display
Head-Up Display
A head-up display or heads-up display is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints...
by DoDaaM Systems, and multi-function display
Multi-function display
A Multi-function display is a small screen in an aircraft surrounded by multiple buttons that can be used to display information to the pilot in numerous configurable ways. Often an MFD will be used in concert with a Primary Flight Display. MFDs are part of the digital era of modern planes or...
by Samsung Thales. Other South Korean subcontractors such as Elemech, Dawin Friction, and Withus cooperate in T-50 components production.
Armament and equipment
TA-50 mounts a General DynamicsGeneral Dynamics
General Dynamics Corporation is a U.S. defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest defense contractor in the world. Its headquarters are in West Falls Church , unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Falls Church area.The company has...
A-50 20 mm cannon internally behind the cockpit
Cockpit
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. Most modern cockpits are enclosed, except on some small aircraft, and cockpits on large airliners are also physically separated from the cabin...
. The cannon is a three-barreled version of the M61 Vulcan
M61 Vulcan
The M61 Vulcan is a hydraulically or pneumatically driven, six-barreled, air-cooled, electrically fired Gatling-style rotary cannon which fires 20 mm rounds at an extremely high rate. The M61 and its derivatives have been the principal cannon armament of United States military fixed-wing aircraft...
, with 205 rounds of linkless ammunition. AIM-9 Sidewinder
AIM-9 Sidewinder
The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried mostly by fighter aircraft and recently, certain gunship helicopters. The missile entered service with United States Air Force in the early 1950s, and variants and upgrades remain in active service with many air forces...
s can be attached at each of the wingtip rails, and additional weapons can be mounted to underwing hardpoint
Hardpoint
A hardpoint, or weapon station, is any part of an airframe designed to carry an external load. This includes a point on the wing or fuselage of military aircraft where external ordnance, countermeasures, gun pods, targeting pods or drop tanks can be mounted.-Rail launchers:Large missiles and...
s. Compatible air-to-surface
Air-to-surface missile
An air-to-surface missile is a missile designed to be launched from military aircraft and strike ground targets on land, at sea, or both...
weapons include the AGM-65 Maverick
AGM-65 Maverick
The AGM-65 Maverick is an air-to-ground tactical missile designed for close-air support. It is effective against a wide range of tactical targets, including armor, air defenses, ships, ground transportation and fuel storage facilities....
missile, Hydra 70
Hydra 70
The Hydra 70 rocket is a weapon derived from the 70 mm Mk 4/Mk 40 Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket developed by the United States Navy for use as a free-flight aerial rocket in the late 1940s.-Overview:...
and LOGIR
Logir
The Logir are an ethnic group numbering a few thousand people living in the South Sudanese state of Eastern Equatoria....
rocket launchers, CBU-58 and Mk-20 cluster bombs, and Mk-82, −83, and −84 general purpose bombs.
FA-50 can be externally fitted with Rafael's Sky Shield or LIG Nex1's ALQ-200K ECM pods, Sniper
Lockheed Martin Sniper XR
The Lockheed Martin Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod , designated AN/AAQ-33 in U.S. Military Service, provides positive target identification, autonomous tracking, coordinate generation, and precise weapons guidance from extended standoff ranges. The Sniper ATP is used on the F-15E Strike Eagle, F-16...
or LITENING targeting pod
LITENING targeting pod
The AN/AAQ-28 LITENING targeting pod is a precision targeting pod system currently operational with a wide variety of combat aircraft. LITENING significantly increases the combat effectiveness of the aircraft during day, night and under-the-weather conditions in the attack of ground and air...
s, and Condor 2 reconnaissance pods to further improve the fighter's electronic warfare, reconnaissance, and targeting capabilities. Other improved weapon systems over TA-50 include SPICE
Spice (munition)
The "SPICE" is an Israeli-developed, EO/GPS-guided guidance kit for converting air-droppable unguided bombs into precision guided bombs....
multifunctional guidance kits, Textron CBU-97/105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon with WCMD
Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser
The Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser system is a tail kit for use with the TMD family of cluster bombs to convert them to precision-guided weapons...
tail kits, JDAM, and JDAM-ER for more comprehensive air-to-ground operations, and AIM-120 missiles for BVR air-to-air operations. FA-50 has provisions for, but does not yet integrate, Python and Derby missiles, also produced by Rafael, and other anti-ship missiles, stand-off weapons, and sensors to be domestically developed by Korea.
Operational history
The T-50 was competing for a Polish Air ForcePolish Air Force
The Polish Air Force is the military Air Force wing of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej...
order for 16 aircraft with ex-Finnish Air Force
Finnish Air Force
The Finnish Air Force is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions...
BAE Hawk 51s
BAE Hawk
The BAE Systems Hawk is a British single-engine, advanced jet trainer aircraft. It first flew in 1974 as the Hawker Siddeley Hawk. The Hawk is used by the Royal Air Force, and other air forces, as either a trainer or a low-cost combat aircraft...
, refurbished by the Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
defence company, Patria
Patria (company)
Patria is a Finnish company which produces a wide range of defence, aviation and aerospace technology. It carries on the firearms tradition of Valtion Kivääritehdas and the aerospace tradition of Valtion lentokonetehdas.-Patria Aviation:* NH90* Mini-UAVs...
. In 2010 a new tender for advanced jet trainer and lead-in fighter trainer aircraft was issued. Competing aircraft include the T-50P, M-346, and Hawk T2/128. In 2011, BAE announced that it had withdrawn from the contest, leaving M-346 and T-50P as its remaining two contenders. The winner of this competition is planned to begin replacing the PZL TS-11 Iskra
PZL TS-11 Iskra
|-See also:-References:*"Poland's Veteran Spark". Air International, March 1979, Vol 16 No. 3. Bromley, UK:Fine Scroll Publishing. pp. 126–131....
by 2013.
Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
had been considering the T-50 to replace the BAE Hawk and A-4 Skyhawk
A-4 Skyhawk
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a carrier-capable ground-attack aircraft designed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. The delta winged, single-engined Skyhawk was designed and produced by Douglas Aircraft Company, and later McDonnell Douglas. It was originally designated the A4D...
as the T-50 had excellent interoperability with the current Indonesian F-16s. In 2010, Indonesia announced that T-50 was one of three candidates for its advanced jet trainer requirement, along with Yak-130 and L-159. Indonesia planned to buy 16 of these advanced trainer aircraft. In May 2011, Indonesia signed a contract to order 16 TA-50 for $400 million. The aircraft will feature weapons pylons and gun modules, enabling light attack capabilities.
Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
was negotiating the acquisition of T-50 trainer jets, having first publicly expressed official interest during the Korea-Iraq summit
Summit (meeting)
A summit meeting is a meeting of heads of state or government, usually with considerable media exposure, tight security and a prearranged agenda.Notable summit meetings include those of Franklin D...
in Seoul on 24 February 2009. In April 2010, Iraq has reopened the jet lead-in fighter-trainer competition for 24 aircraft, in which TA-50 will compete.
Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
has been evaluating the T-50 as a possible replacement for its Douglas TA-4H Skyhawk trainers since 2003.
The Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
is looking for six light attack jets as part of its emergency plan to boost maritime patrol capability. TA-50 is one of the contenders along with M-346.
Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
evaluated the T-50 against the Italian Alenia Aermacchi M-346 and the BAE Hawk for a $500 million trainer acquisition program contract for 12–16 aircraft. The Singapore Ministry of Defense eventually selected the M-346 aircraft ahead of T-50 and BAE Hawk in July 2010.
The United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
is seeking 35–40 fighter-trainers. In February 2009, UAE selected the M-346 over the T-50. But in January 2010, UAE reopened the trainer contest. In 2011, it was confirmed that T-50 is still competing in UAE.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, South Korea will attempt to trade T-50s for F-35s, assuming that it can find an American need for such an aircraft. T-50 is one of the contenders for the US Air Force's T-X program, with an export opportunity for up to 300 to 1000 aircraft, which is about $6 billion to $20 billion at 2008 flyaway cost. A possible reciprocal sale of F-35 to Korea will be 60 aircraft, valued at $8 billion.
Variants
T-50- Advanced trainer version.
T-50B
- Aerobatic specialized T-50 version for Black Eagles aerobatic teamBlack Eagles aerobatic teamThe Black Eagles aerobatic team, the 239th squadron, is the flight display team of the Republic of Korea Air Force base at 8th FW. The Republic of Korea Air Force Aerobatic Team was operated in various occasions of national ceremonies and this has been fully encouraged and concerned by the nation...
.
T-50P
- Multirole all-weather two-seater version proposed for Polish Air ForcePolish Air ForceThe Polish Air Force is the military Air Force wing of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej...
.
TA-50
- Tactial trainer/light attack version.
FA-50
- Multirole all-weather version under development to replace F-5E/F by 2013. Originally named A-50.
Operators
Republic of Korea Armed Forces
- Republic of Korea Air ForceRepublic of Korea Air ForceThe Republic of Korea Air Force is the air force of South Korea...
- operates 50 T-50s, 10 T-50Bs, 10 TA-50s, and 1 pre-production model FA-50.
- Indonesian Air ForceIndonesian Air ForceThe Indonesian Air Force is the air force branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces.The Indonesian Air Force has 34,930 personnel equipped with 110 combat aircraft including Su-27 and Su-30.-Before Indonesian independence :...
- ordered 16 TA-50 light attackers in May 2011, the first batch of which are expected to be delivered to the air force in 2013. They will replace the Hawk Mk 53 in IAF service.