A domestically produced FA-50 light combat aircraft has made its maiden flight in Poland, a neighboring country of Ukraine, currently at war with Russia. This marks the first instance of a domestically-produced aircraft flying over not only Polish but also European skies. This further solidifies the capabilities of Korean defense manufacturers and is expected to boost exports. Last year, Poland significantly enhanced its national defense by procuring FA-50s along with K-9 self-propelled howitzers and K-2 main battle tanks.
KAI(Korea Aerospace Industries), the developer of the FA-50, announced on the 16th that the first and second FA-50GF aircraft, delivered to the Polish Air Force, successfully completed their first local flights on the 15th to commemorate Poland’s Armed Forces Day. KAI also stated that with the FA-50′s successful “first flight over European skies,” a new chapter in the history of domestically-produced aircraft has been written.
The acronym ‘GF’ in FA-50GF stands for ‘Gap Filler,’ signifying the initial batch of aircraft that was rapidly delivered to minimize any operational gaps between contract signing, full-scale production and delivery, which typically takes a minimum of 36 months. KAI signed contracts for a total of 48 FA-50s last year. Starting with the first two units this month, a total of 12 units in the initial batch are planned to be provided by December this year.
According to KAI, the FA-50GF took off from the Minsk Airbase and flew steadily over the skies of the Polish capital of Warsaw on this day. The flight was witnessed by a large number of Polish citizens, many of whom cheered at the sight of the flight. The FA-50GF appeared alongside Poland’s current fleet of MiG-29s and conducted a joint flight before the Mig-29s veered away. KAI explained that this underlines the transition of Poland’s aviation system from the Soviet-era Migs to the FA-50s, in a natural progression.
Poland’s President, Andrzej Duda, stated, “Security is the most essential foundation of a nation,” and emphasized that the Polish Armed Forces will build a formidable defense power through military modernization with state-of-the-art weapon systems, asserting that “no one will be able to surpass our strong defense.”
KAI’s CEO, Kang Goo-young, expressed gratitude to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and the South Korean Air Force for their support in ensuring the swift delivery to Poland. He stated, “We hope the FA-50 will contribute to the safety and protection of the Polish people’s lives,” and further added, “Korea, once reliant on the import of fighter jets, has now rewritten its aviation history by sending domestically-produced aircraft to the European skies. We will contribute to strengthening the Polish Air Force’s air power based on KAI’s follow-on support capabilities, which are available to more than 660 aircraft worldwide.”
In the midst of this, the successfully flown FA-50GF will be showcased to the Polish citizens through ground exhibitions and demonstration flights at the Radom Airshow in Poland, scheduled for the 26th to the 27th of next month. The third and fourth FA-50GFs will also be flown to the country in September in preparation for delivery. A total of 12 aircraft are slated for initial delivery by the end of this year.
Out of the total 48 aircraft under the Polish contract, 36 of them will be delivered as upgraded versions known as the FA-50PL (Poland) to meet the requirements of the Polish Air Force. These deliveries are planned to take place gradually from the second half of 2025 to 2028.
In the future, the Polish Air Force intends to deploy the FA-50 for a variety of missions including air defense, special operations, and combat missions, making it a core aircraft for safeguarding their airspace and national security.
Earlier, on July 13th (local time), President Yoon Seok-yeol had a summit meeting with President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw, Poland. During the meeting, they agreed to collaborate not only in the defense industry but also in transportation infrastructure, nuclear power plant construction, and Ukraine reconstruction projects. President Duda referred to South Korea as “Asia’s most important partner,” while President Yoon described Poland as “a highly significant cooperative partner as the gateway to Europe.”
Poland imported 71.6 percent ($12.4 billion) of South Korea’s record-breaking $17.3 billion worth of defense exports last year. In the past year, Poland signed a first-phase contract for four types of Korean-made weapons, including 1,000 units of K2 tanks, 672 K9 self-propelled howitzers, 48 FA-50 light combat aircraft, and 288 units of Cheonmu multiple launch rockets.
There is also speculation that a second-phase contract, potentially worth up to $30 billion, for various ammunitions and other supplies might be signed this year. President Duda’s expressed interest in domestic production of K2 tanks and President Yoon’s mention of “mutually beneficial defense cooperation” indicate that discussions regarding Polish production or technology transfer related to Korean-made weapons are likely to gain momentum.
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