Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) struck an MOU on the development and cooperation of the defense industry with KAIST, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), Hanwha Aerospace and Hyundai Rotem at KAIST Dogok campus on June 30.
Among those on hand at the signing ceremony were KAIST President Lee Kwang-hyung, DAPA Administrator Eom Dong-hwan, KAI President Kang Goo-young, and representatives from Hyundai Rotem and Hanwha Aerospace.
Under the deal, KAIST, DAPA and three defense industry companies will join forces to expand Korean-Polish defense industry manpower exchanges and promote industry-academy collaboration.
KAIST will operate education and research programs to nurture Polish defense industry manpower, while DAPA will cooperate with the Polish government and coordinate and support the seamless operation of the programs.
The defense industry companies, including KAI, will shoulder educational costs to nurture Polish defense industry manpower.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, KAI President Kang said, “Exporting FA-50s to Poland has laid a foothold for the defense industry of both countries and KAI to promote co-prosperity, and KAI will give a leg-up to expand Korean-Polish defense industry and aerospace manpower networks.”
President Kang Goo-young of Korea Aerospace Industries poses with Polish related officials at a ceremony in which the first FA-50GF was delivered to the Polish side at the Minsk Air Base in Poland on July 12. (Photos: KAI)
Meanwhile, KAI held a ceremony to deliver the FA-50GF (Gap Filler), the first unit of FA-50s, to be exported to Poland at KAI headquarters in Sacheon, Gyeongsangnam-do, on June 7.
The FA-50GF was delivered one month earlier than planned - in time for a demonstration on the occasion of Polish Armed Forces Day on Aug. 15.
Eleven more FA-50GFs will be delivered by the end of this year. The Polish export version of FA-50 is called “FA-50GF”, implying a quick replacement of Poland’s aging fighters with new ones to fill the combat gap.
Last year, Poland inked a 4 trillion won deal with KAI to introduce 48 FA-50s. KAI received 1.2 trillion won in advance money last November.
Under the deal, KAI will supply 12 FA-50GFs to Poland by the end of this year. KAI will deliver an additional batch of 36 FA-50PLs, reflecting Poland’s demands between November 2025 and September 2028.
FA-50GF is similar to Korean Air Forces’ TA-50 Block 2 trainer jet, but the former is upgraded with an inertial navigation system (EGI), in addition to the conventional GPS.
The FA-50PL will be outfitted with Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar and Head-Mounted Display (HMD) equipment.
KAI’s proposal to jointly build a FA-50 light attacker MRO center with Poland is likely to gain ground on the back of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s recent state visit to Poland.
Polish Vice Prime Minister-Minister of National Defense Mariusz Błaszczak revealed the proposal at the ceremony to deliver the first FA-50 in Sacheon.
He said KAI and PZE of Poland was discussing a project to build an MRO center in Poland.
If the MRO center is built, it is expected to be responsible for maintenance, repair and operations of aged light attackers in operation in Europe.
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