With excellent weapons and mobility, the price is half the price of competing models… Fast delivery is the biggest strength
The FA-50 light attack aircraft developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). [사진 제공 · 공군]
Recently, an interesting article was published in Defense 24, a media specializing in the Polish defense industry. With the FA-50 export to Poland as an opportunity, Korea plans to export more than 1,000 additional aircraft to the European market. A few years ago, it seemed that securing a market for the FA-50 or the parent T-50 Golden Eagle was not easy. The era of the so-called ‘Golden Eagle Family’ seemed to be coming to an end when the T-50 lost to the T-7 Red Hawk from the Boeing-Saab consortium in the US next generation trainer business. But now, the goal of ‘exporting more than 1,000 units’ declared by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the developer of the FA-50, does not seem like a pipe dream. The performance of the FA-50 series aircraft may not have suddenly improved, but what is the cause of the change in the atmosphere in the defense market?
Acquisition and maintenance costs high due to weapons development
First of all, the development of the weapon system is too fast, and the battlefield situation cannot keep up with it. Modern fighter jets have made tremendous technological advances thanks to rapid advances in electronics in the last decade. Some of the latest models collect radar, electro-optical, and infrared signals and fuse the data to the extent of detecting targets at a distance of more than 1,000 km. Taking a step further from the current stealth technology, the next generation stealth technology which significantly reduces the radar reflection area of the aircraft as well as the possibility of detecting visible light and infrared light has started to be applied.
The development of weapons systems is certainly welcome. This is especially true of fighters who overwhelm the battlefield with high performance weapons. However, as the top command section operating the military acquires excellent weapons, concerns are also growing. This is because as the performance of the weapon system increases dramatically, the cost required to maintain the weapon also increases. Stealth fighters, for example, require frequent replacement of key components of high-performance sensors. All parts are also very expensive. In order to maintain the stealth performance, it is necessary to spend a lot of money from time to time and use special layers. A high maintenance requirement means that the time required for maintenance increases and the operating rate of the aircraft decreases. It is known that the maintenance cost of the F-35A per flight hour, a fifth generation stealth fighter developed by the United States, is about $36,000 (about 47 million won) as of last year. It is much higher than the maintenance cost of the big twin-engine fighter F-15E ($ 29,000, about 37.9 million won) or the latest improved F-16V of the F-16 series ($ 22,500 , about 29.4 million won).
The problem is that such fighters which cost a lot to maintain and operate are not necessarily put on ‘high value missions’. The routine missions of US fighter jets are usually limited to dropping a few bombs on terrorist groups or rebel strongholds in the Middle East and Africa and returning home. Unless the US-China competition for hegemony escalates into an all-out war or the US military directly intervenes in the Ukraine war and engages Russia. Spraying stealth fighters such as the F-22 and F-35 or the 6th generation fighters currently being developed for low density missions is like waving a slaughter knife to kill chickens. Charles Brown, the Air Force chief of staff, said at a security seminar last year, “Ferrari is only available on weekends. You don’t need a supercar to go to the supermarket,” he said. It’s a statement to the effect that the US Air Force needs more 4.5th generation fighters than expensive, advanced aircraft. If even the US military States, which spend the most on defense in the world, like this, what will happen to other countries?
Lockheed Martin F-16V production 4 units per month
Lockheed Martin F-16V. [뉴시스]
Except for countries with close ties to China and Russia, the choice of 4.5 generation fighters is not that wide. Western 4.5th generation fighter jets like the F-15EX, F/A-18E/F, Eurofighter Typhoon, and Rafale are expensive enough to easily exceed $80 million (about 104.6 billion won) for a frame air only. If you add a small amount of weapons and spare parts to this, the purchase price of the fighter will be higher. Sweden’s JAS-39E/F Gripen NG, once claimed as the strongest of the 4.5 generation light fighters, is also being overlooked in the market because its price has soared above that of a main large scale fighters by adding some specifications.
This is the reason why the recent phenomenon occurred that Lockheed Martin’s F-16V was not available for sale. However, the price per unit of the F-16V, which is said to be relatively “cost-effective,” is close to $80 million, and the maintenance cost per flight hour is over $20,000 (about 26 million won). Due to the influx of orders, it is said that even if you sign a contract now, you will be able to receive the aircraft in 4-5 years at the earliest. The Lockheed Martin Greenville plant’s production capacity of up to four F-16Vs per month has reached saturation. Slovakia, which ordered 14 F-16Vs in 2018, was initially told by Lockheed Martin that “shipping is possible in early 2022”, but is said to have recently been told “only in the second half of next year.” Morocco, which ordered 25 units in 2019, will ship in 2027, and Bahrain, which ordered 16 units in the same year, is expected to ship after 2024. Taiwan, which signed a contract for 66 units in 2020, is also rot because the delivery of the first two units scheduled for the second half of 2023 has been delayed. Bulgaria, which ordered eight at the same time as Taiwan, is expected to receive the F-16V only in 2027.
Delays in the supply of European-made fighters are even more serious. Saudi Arabia ordered 72 Eurofighter Typhoons in 2007, but it took more than 10 years to acquire them all. Oman received all 12 vehicles contracted in 2013 until 2019. Kuwait managed to acquire one of the 28 cars contracted in 2015 at the end of last year, the first in six years. Another European fighter, the French Rafale, is in a similar situation. Egypt took 6 years to receive all 24 Rafales, and Qatar took 8 years to receive all 36 Rafaals.
In the situation of Eastern European countries, whose feet have been burned by the war in Ukraine, the security crisis cannot be overcome by introducing weapons made in the United States or Europe. The Korean FA-50 captured Poland at this time. The FA-50 was like a ray of light for Eastern European countries that needed fighters immediately but didn’t have much money. This is because it was possible to deliver in the shortest period of time, and the price was low and the performance excellent. Polish media recently reported the atmosphere in Europe, saying, “Countries operating or planning to operate F-35s and F-16s, or countries that do not want to spend too much money on unarmed trainers, are pay attention to the FA-50.” Slovakia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Portugal and Serbia are mentioned as candidates for the introduction of the FA-50.
Eastern European Air Force Gap in Military Aid to Ukraine
The Eurofighter Typhoon was jointly developed by Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain. [뉴시스]
It should be noted that Eastern European countries have recently provided military aid to Ukraine, creating gaps in the protection of their airspace. Slovakia has recently transferred all 11 MIG-29s to Ukraine, and has virtually no fighters. Successive delivery of F-16Vs is planned in the second half of next year, but only 14 units can be configured in one squadron. Accordingly, a multipurpose aircraft needs to be introduced to support the F-16V and replace the 7 outdated L-39 trainers. In Slovakia’s situation, only one aircraft with high compatibility with the F-16 as a fighter and trainer can be acquired early, the FA-50.
Bulgaria also needs attack and advanced trainers to replace 11 MIG-29 fighters, 8 Su-25s and 6 L-39s, which are scheduled for strategic retirement. Croatia, which bought 12 using Rafales, is pushing to introduce light fighters and trainers because of the burden of maintenance costs, and Romania, which wants to introduce support aircraft at the same time as the F-35A, is also interested in the FA-50. Austria has delivered 12 Eurofighter Typhoons, but it is not possible to load mission equipment. He is classified as a potential customer for the FA-50 as he is looking for an inexpensive fighter to operate after selling the aircraft as used or dismantled. Switzerland and Finland are also interested in the FA-50, which can be used for various purposes, such as combat aerial patrol, close air support, and preliminary tactical training.
What is the ‘spec’ of the FA-50 that will overwhelm its excellent competitors? According to a recent evaluation by the Polish Ministry of Defense, the FA-50 has high compatibility with the F-16, making it easy for pilots to change models. The acquisition cost is $62 million (about 81.1 billion won), which is half the level of other 4.5th generation fighters, and the maintenance cost is only $3,500 per hour (about 4.58 million won), which is about 30% of the hour, so it’s economical. However, it is possible to install high-performance active phased array (AESA) radars, electronic warfare equipment, and various precision weapons by improving performance. Thanks to its supersonic flight capability, it has the best air maneuverability among light fighters in its class. The FA-50 is smaller than the F-16, Rafale, and Eurofighter Typhoon and has a simpler structural design. As a result, due to excellent production, Poland is expected to receive all 48 units by 2024. As mentioned earlier, the FA-50 is practically the only alternative for countries in need of high-performance fighters although the pockets are thin.
Realize ‘economies of scale’ with outposts on four continents
A military aircraft is assembled at Lockheed Martin’s Greenville plant in South Carolina, USA. [사진 제공 · 록히드마틴]
The high evaluation of the FA-50 is similar in the United States. The TF-50 (American version of the FA-50) is being evaluated as a strong candidate in the US Air Force advanced tactical trainer project, which is supposed to deliver 280 to 400 units. If the model is adopted by the US Air Force, the US market is expected to expand significantly. The prospect of the FA-50 series aircraft dominating the US Navy’s 200 units of next-generation trainers and the US Marines’ next-generation trainers of 100 units is also increasing.
In this way, ‘economies of scale’ are expected to be realized if the recruitment of the US military in the FA-50 series becomes a reality. It is expected that the advantage of low acquisition and maintenance costs will be further strengthened. This export to Poland is just the beginning of the FA-50 crisis. If the FA-50 developed in Korea has a production base in Europe (Poland), a production base in the Americas (Lockheed Martin, USA), and a licensed production base in Africa (Egypt), it can become the world’s best seller- wide with front. bases on four continents. It is hoped that the current wind will continue and the FA-50 will become a giant model leading the quantum leap of the Korean aerospace industry.
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Shin In-gyun, CEO of the Self-Governing Defense Network
< This article Weekly donga Published in number 1352
