ASEAN is showing more and more interest in Korea's indigenous combat planes.
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei and President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines both visited an air base in Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do (South Gyeongsang Province), on December 12 to inspect the FA-50 fighter plane.



After finishing the ASEAN-Republic of Korea (ROK) Commemorative Summit in Busan, the two leaders headed to the airbase in Gimhae where they inspected and learned about the performance and excellence of Korean combat planes. .

The two leaders received an explanation about the FA-50 fighter plane while being guided around the base by Korea Air Force Chief of Staff Choi Cha-kyu and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) CEO Ha Sung Yong. The Korean Air Force said the inspection took place at the special request of the two leaders.



The Philippines began operating 12 FA-50s in March this year. The Bruneian sultan expressed his strong interest in acquiring FA-50s, after being briefed by the Bruneian ambassador to Korea about the FA-50 during an inspection to KAI this past November, said the Korean Air Force.

The FA-50 fighter plane was developed as a light fighter version of the T-50, a family of indigenous supersonic advanced trainers jointly developed by KAI and Lockheed Martin. The FA-50 can reach speeds of up to Mach 1.5. A total of 52 units of the T-50 family have been exported, including 16 to Indonesia in 2011 and 24 units to Iraq in 2013.

By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Korean Air Force
arete@korea.kr