[비즈한국] Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)047810 unveiled a scale model of the FA-50 upgraded version for the first time at 'MSPO 2024', held in Kielce, Poland, on September 3. While KAI did not explicitly label the scale model as the 'FA-50PL' to be supplied to the Polish Air Force, it is effectively a scale model that reflects the specifications of that version.
MSPO (Międzynarodowy Salon Przemysłu Obronnego, International Defence Industry Exhibition) is one of the three major defense exhibitions in Europe, having been held since 1993 with a 32-year history.
The FA-50 upgraded model (PL) unveiled at this MSPO features three major improvements over the original FA-50. The first to note is the probe-and-drogue aerial refueling system.
Aerial refueling capabilities allow aircraft to be refueled in the air without landing during operations, significantly extending their operational duration and range. However, since the Republic of Korea Air Force uses the flying boom method while most export nations, including Poland, use the probe-and-drogue system, KAI developed new aerial refueling equipment that can be installed on the FA-50 through its own research.
Next is the 'AESA radar', the core equipment of a fighter jet. An AESA radar detects enemies by electronically steering the beam using hundreds of transmit/receive modules, which can be thought of as small radars, gathered as a single antenna. Compared to mechanical radars used for decades, it has a longer detection range and can detect enemies faster. The FA-50PL will be equipped with RTX's PhantomStrike radar from the U.S.
Finally, there is the Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) interrogator. Because there are many instances of friendly fire in aerial combat, modern fighter jets are equipped with IFF transponders that challenge targets with encrypted codes to determine if they are friendly or hostile. Unlike the existing FA-50, which was only equipped with a passive transponder that could only respond to IFF inquiries, the FA-50PL unveiled this time features an interrogator mounted in front of the cockpit that can actively identify whether a target is friend or foe. This type of interrogator is also mounted on the KF-16 and KF-21 Boramae fighter jets. In other words, this shows that the FA-50PL is not merely an attack aircraft, but a light fighter capable of air-to-air combat.
However, the new FA-50PL scale model unveiled by KAI does not differ from the FA-50 and FA-50GF currently operated by the ROK Air Force and Polish Air Force in terms of armaments. It is equipped with AIM-9M Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, GBU-12 500lb laser-guided bombs, 500lb JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) GPS-guided bombs, and Lockheed Martin's AN/AAQ-33 Sniper targeting pod.
According to KAI, the actual version exported to Poland is scheduled to be equipped with the AIM-9X Super Sidewinder, an improvement over the AIM-9M Sidewinder, on the FA-50PL. However, a medium-range air-to-air missile with performance superior to the Super Sidewinder was not mounted on the scale model unveiled this time.
Currently, KAI has already supplied 12 units of the FA-50GF, the basic version of the FA-50, to Poland, and is scheduled to deliver 36 units of the upgraded FA-50PL starting in 2025. In addition to Poland, the Malaysian Air Force is scheduled to introduce the upgraded FA-50 under the name FA-50M, and it is expected to establish itself as KAI's flagship export product alongside the KF-21 Boramae in the 2030s.