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KAI T-50 Golden Eagle

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T-50 Golden Eagle
File:KAI T-50 Picture.jpg
KAI T-50
Role Advanced trainer, multirole fighter
Manufacturer Korea Aerospace Industries
First flight 20 August 2002[1]
Introduction 22 February 2005[2]
Status In service
Primary users Republic of Korea Air Force
Indonesian Air Force
Produced 2001–present
Number built 82

The KAI T-50 Golden Eagle is a family of South Korean supersonic advanced trainers and multirole light fighters, developed by Korea Aerospace Industries with Lockheed Martin. The T-50 is South Korea's first indigenous supersonic aircraft and one of the world's few supersonic trainers.[3] Development began in the late 1990s, and its maiden flight occurred in 2002. The aircraft entered active service with the Republic of Korea Air Force in 2005.

The T-50 has been further developed into aerobatic and combat variants, namely T-50B, TA-50, and FA-50. The F-50 is another advanced fighter variant being considered. The T-50B serves with the South Korean air force's aerobatics team. The TA-50 light attack variant has been ordered by Indonesia. Additional export orders are being pursued by Iraq, Poland, and Spain.[4] The Philippines has begun contract negotiations to order the FA-50 variant. The T-50 is also being marketed as a candidate for the United States Air Force's next-generation T-X trainer programme.[5]

Development

Origins

The T-50 program was originally intended to develop an indigenous trainer aircraft capable of supersonic flight, to train and prepare pilots for the KF-16 and F-15K, replacing trainers such as T-38 and A-37 that were then in service with the Republic of Korea Air Force.[6] Prior South Korean aircraft programs include the propeller-driven KT-1 basic trainer produced by Daewoo Aerospace (now part of KAI), and license-manufactured KF-16.[1] In general, the T-50 series of aircraft closely resembles the KF-16 in configuration.[6]

The mother program, code-named KTX-2, began in 1992,[7] but the Ministry of Finance and Economy suspended KTX-2 in 1995 due to financial constraints.[8] The basic design of the aircraft was set by 1999.[1] The development of the aircraft was funded 70% by the South Korean government, 17% by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), and 13% by Lockheed Martin.[9]

The aircraft was formally designated as T-50 Golden Eagle in February 2000.[1] The T-50A designation was reserved by the U.S. military to prevent to it from being inadvertently assigned to another aircraft model.[10][11] Final assembly of the first T-50 took place between 15 January and 14 September 2001.[1] The first flight of the T-50 took place in August 2002, and initial operational assessment from 28 July to 14 August 2003.[1] KAI and Lockheed Martin are currently pursuing a joint marketing program for the T-50 internationally. The South Korean air force placed a production contract for 25 T-50s in December 2003, with aircraft scheduled to be delivered between 2005 and 2009.[9] Original T-50 are equipped with the AN/PG-67(v)4 radar from Lockheed Martin and it has been selected for the AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo of Taiwan.[12]

Improved versions

File:KAI FA-50 Light Attack Aircraft.jpg
KAI FA-50 Light Light Attack Aircraft

The program has expanded beyond a trainer concept to include the TA-50 light attack aircraft, as well as the FA-50 multirole fighter similar to the multirole KF-16. The TA-50 variant is a more heavily armed version of the T-50 trainer, intended for lead-in fighter training and light attack roles. It is equipped with the Elta EL/M-2032 fire control radar.[13] The TA-50 is designed to operate as a full-fledged combat platform for precision-guided weapons, air-to-air missiles,[14] and air-to-ground missiles.[15] TA-50 can mount additional utility pods for reconnaissance, targeting assistance, and electronic warfare. Reconnaissance and electronic warfare variants are also being developed designated as RA-50 and EA-50.[16][17]

The FA-50 is the most advanced version of the T-50. It equips a modified Israeli EL/M-2032 pulse-Doppler radar with further Korean-specific augmentations by LIG Nex1,[18] and has more internal fuel capacity, enhanced avionics, a longer radome and a tactical datalink.[19][20] The augmentations increased the range of the radar on FA-50 by two-third compared to the radar version on the TA-50.[21] The EL/M-2032 was initially chosen over Lockheed Martin's preferred AN/APG-67(V)4 radar or the SELEX Vixen 500E AESA radar. Other AESA radars such as Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar and Northrop Grumman's Scalable Agile Beam Radar are options for future production,[22][23] and will likely be shared with the same AESA radar chosen for the USAF and ROKAF F-16 fighters.[24] Samsung Thales is also independently developing a domestic multi-mode AESA radar for FA-50.[25] In December 2008, South Korea awarded a contract to Korea Aerospace Industries to convert four T-50s to FA-50 standards by 2012. In 2012, The Republic of Korea Air Force has ordered 20 FA-50 fighters to be delivered by the end of 2014.[24] The maiden flight of FA-50 multirole fighter variant took place in 2011.[26] The 60 FA-50 aircraft are to be produced from 2013 to 2016.[27]

The T-50 is the proposed base for the more advanced F-50 fighter with strengthened wings, AESA radar, more internal fuel, enhanced electronic warfare capability, and a more powerful engine.[28] The proposal is designated as T-50 Phase 3 program by KAI.[29] Wing strengthening is required to support three underwing weapons pylons, as opposed to two underwing pylons on the TA-50 or FA-50.[30] The AESA radar was expected to be RACR, which has 90% commonality with the AESA radar of the Super Hornet, or SABR, both of which are competing for KF-16's AESA radar upgrade program.[31][32] Samsung Thales' AESA radar is also a possible option.[25] The aircraft was altered to a single-seat configuration to allow more space for internal fuel and electronic warfare equipment.[33][34] The engine could be either Eurojet EJ200 or General Electric F414, upgraded to 20,000 lb or 22,000 lb thrust, which is about 12-25% higher than the F404's thrust.[5][35] The engines are already being offered for the baseline T-50 for future customers. A similar Korean-led international fighter program exists named the KAI KF-X.

Design

Overview

The T-50 Golden Eagle design is largely derived from the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and they have many similarities: use of a single engine, speed, size, cost, and the range of weapons.[7] KAI's previous engineering experience in license-producing the KF-16 was a starting point for the development of the T-50.[36]

The trainer can carry two pilots in tandem seating. The high-mounted canopy developed by Hankuk Fiber is applied with stretched acrylic, providing the pilots with good visibility, and has been tested to offer the canopy with ballistic protection against 4-lb objects impacting at 400 knots.[37] The altitude limit is 14,600 metres (48,000 ft), and airframe is designed to last 8,000 hours of service.[38] There are seven internal fuel tanks with capacity of 2,655 litres (701 US gal), five in the fuselage and two in the wings. An additional 1,710 litres (452 US gal) of fuel can be carried in the three external fuel tanks.[9] T-50 trainer variants have a paint scheme of white and red, and aerobatic variants white, black, and yellow.[39]

The T-50 Golden Eagle uses a single General Electric F404-102 turbofan engine license-produced by Samsung Techwin,[40] upgraded with a Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system jointly developed by General Electric and Korea Aerospace Industries.[41] The engine consists of three-staged fans, seven axial stage arrangement, and an afterburner.[9] The aircraft has a maximum speed of Mach 1.4-1.5.[38] Its engine produces a maximum of 78.7 kN (17,700 lbf) of thrust with afterburner.[9] The more powerful F414 and EJ200 engines have been suggested as the new engine for the T-50 family.[5]

Avionics

File:T-50 Supersonic Trainer.jpg
KAI T-50 Advance Trainer Aircraft

The T-50's central processing unit and its operating system are developed by MDS Technology.[42] The T-50's NEOS avionics operating system is the first and only real-time operating system to be developed by an Asian company, and holds both DO-178B and IEEE POSIX certification.[42][43][44][45] Samsung Thales and LIG Nex1 are the main avionics and electronic warfare equipment developers for T-50 and its variants.[46][47] Other South Korean companies and defense institutes such as DoDAAM Systems, Aeromaster, Intellics, and Korea Institute of Defense Analysis are responsible for the aircraft's secondary avionics and embedded systems, including store management computers,[48] avionics testing equipment,[49] flight data recorders,[50] portable maintenance aids,[51] data analysis software,[52] post-flight data processing system,[53] aircraft structure and engine management software,[54][55] and mission planning and support systems.[56] The TA-50 version is equipped with an ELTA EL/M-2032 fire control radar.[57]

Hanwha supplies the mechanical parts for the flight control system,[58] and WIA supplies the undercarriage.[59] The T-50 is equipped with a Honeywell H-764G embedded global positioning/inertial navigation system and HG9550 radar altimeter.[9] The aircraft is the first trainer to feature triple-redundant digital fly-by-wire controls.[38] The cockpit panels, switches, and joysticks are produced by South Korea's FirsTec and Sungjin Techwin, head-up display by DoDaaM Systems, and multi-function display by Samsung Thales.[56][60][61][62] Other South Korean subcontractors such as Elemech, Dawin Friction, and Withus cooperate in T-50 components production.[63]

AIM-9 Sidewinder

Armament and equipment

The TA-50 version mounts a three-barrel cannon version of the M61 Vulcan internally behind the cockpit, which fires linkless 20 mm ammunition.[9] Wingtip rails can accommodate the AIM-9 Sidewinders missile, a variety of additional weapons can be mounted to underwing hardpoints.[9] Compatible air-to-surface weapons include the AGM-65 Maverick missile, Hydra 70 and LOGIR rocket launchers, CBU-58 and Mk-20 cluster bombs, and Mk-82, −83, and −84 general purpose bombs.[1]

FA-50 can be externally fitted with Rafael's Sky Shield or LIG Nex1's ALQ-200K ECM pods, Sniper or LITENING targeting pods, and Condor 2 reconnaissance pods to further improve the fighter's electronic warfare, reconnaissance, and targeting capabilities.[64][65] Other improved weapon systems over TA-50 include SPICE multifunctional guidance kits,[66] Textron CBU-97/105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon with WCMD tail kits, JDAM, and JDAM-ER for more comprehensive air-to-ground operations, and AIM-120 missiles for BVR air-to-air operations.[67] FA-50 has provisions for, but does not yet integrate, Python and Derby missiles, also produced by Rafael, and other anti-ship missiles, stand-off weapons, and sensors to be domestically developed by Korea.[68][69][70]

Possible sales

  • The T-50 was competing for a Polish Air Force order for 16 aircraft with ex-Finnish Air Force BAE Hawk 51s, refurbished by the Finnish defence company, Patria.[71] In 2010 a new tender for advanced jet trainer and lead-in fighter trainer aircraft was issued. Competing aircraft include the T-50P, M-346, and Hawk T2/128. In 2011, BAE announced that it had withdrawn from the contest, leaving M-346 and T-50P as its remaining two contenders.[72] The winner of this competition is planned to begin replacing the PZL TS-11 Iskra by 2015. In 2011, the competition was cancelled and relaunched in 2012 with new specifications without the previous requirements for fly-by-wire, supersonic speed and combat capacity.[73][74]
  • Indonesia had been considering the T-50 to replace the BAE Hawk and A-4 Skyhawk as the T-50 had excellent interoperability with the current Indonesian F-16s.[75] In 2010, Indonesia announced that T-50 was one of three candidates for its advanced jet trainer requirement, along with Yak-130 and L-159. Indonesia planned to buy 16 of an advanced trainer aircraft type.[76] In May 2011, Indonesia signed a contract to order 16 TA-50 aircraft for $400 million. The aircraft will feature weapons pylons and gun modules, enabling light attack capabilities.[77]
  • The Spanish Air Force is interested in the success of this cooperation agreement and the deal with South Korea Spain a possible delivery of training aircraft, including the supersonic T-50, a device that remains in service in South Korea since 2005 and has proven to be a modern platform workout. [78]
  • Iraq was negotiating the acquisition of T-50 trainer jets, having first publicly expressed official interest during the Korea-Iraq summit in Seoul on 24 February 2009.[79] In April 2010, Iraq has reopened the jet lead-in fighter-trainer competition for 24 aircraft, in which TA-50 will compete.[80]
  • The Philippine Air Force has chosen 12 KAI TA-50 aircraft to fulfill requirement for a light attack trainer. The Philippines Department of National Defence (DND) announced the selection of the type in August 2012.[57] Philippines' Congress approved funding for 12 trainer aircraft in September 2012.[81] However, the Korean government has stated that the aircraft had not been ordered and that the two nations have to first reach an agreement on its export.[82] In late January 2013, state media reported that the FA-50, not the TA-50 as earlier reported, was selected with 18.9 billion pesos (US$464 million) set aside for 12 aircraft; contract negotiations are underway.[83]
  • The United Arab Emirates is seeking 35–40 fighter-trainers. In February 2009, UAE selected the M-346 over the T-50.[84] But in January 2010, UAE reopened the trainer contest.[85] In 2011, it was confirmed that T-50 is still competing in UAE.[86]
  • In the United States, South Korea will attempt to trade T-50s for F-35s, assuming that it can find an American need for such an aircraft.[87] T-50 is one of the contenders for the US Air Force's T-X program, with an export opportunity for up to 300 to 1000 aircraft, which is about $6 billion to $20 billion at 2008 flyaway cost.[5]

Failed Bids

  • Singapore evaluated the T-50 against the Italian Alenia Aermacchi M-346 and the BAE Hawk for a $500 million trainer acquisition program contract for 12–16 aircraft.[88] The Singapore Ministry of Defense eventually selected the M-346 aircraft ahead of T-50 and BAE Hawk in July 2010.[89]
  • Israel has been evaluating the T-50 as a possible replacement for its Douglas TA-4H Skyhawk trainers since 2003.[90] On 16 February 2012, Israel announced its decision to procure thirty M-346 instead.[91][92]

Variants

T-50
Advanced trainer version.[93]
T-50B
Aerobatic specialized T-50 version for Black Eagles aerobatic team.
TA-50
Tactical trainer/light attack version.[93]
FA-50
Multirole fighter all-weather version[93] under development to replace F-5E/F by 2013. Originally named A-50, a prototype from a converted T-50 first flew in 2011.

Operators

File:KAI TA-50.jpg
KAI TA-50 Lead-in Fighter Trainer
 Indonesia
 Republic of Korea

Specifications

File:KAI T-50 Dimensions.jpg
KAI T-50 Dimensions

Data from Korea Aerospace,[97] Lockheed Martin[98]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

Avionics

  • AN/APG-67 (T-50 Variant)
  • EL/M-2032 (TA-50 and FA-50 Variant)
  • Lockheed Martin Advanced Avionics

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Korean Aerospace T-50 Golden Eagle, Flug Revue, 8 July 2004. copy archived 11 June 2008.
  2. ^ First T-50 Golden Eagles Delivered to Korean Air Force; Only Supersonic Trainer in Production Today. Lockheed Martin, 22 February 2006.
  3. ^ "Domestic Light Attack Jets Due in 2013". The Korea Times, 30 December 2008.
  4. ^ Aviación total Chile:INTERÉS DE ESPAÑA EN EL ENTRENADOR KAI T-50
  5. ^ a b c d Lockheed ponders T-50 re-engining for T-X programme
  6. ^ a b "South Korea to Show off T-50 Trainer". Defenseindustrydaily.com, 12 April 2005. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  7. ^ a b Korean Aerospace Industries T-50 Golden Eagle. Aeroflight
  8. ^ KTX-2 program page, GlobalSecurity.org
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h T-50 Golden Eagle Jet Trainer and Light Attack Aircraft, South Korea. Air Force Technology.
  10. ^ DOD 4120.15-L – Addendum, MDS Designators, Designation-Systems.net.
  11. ^ Parsch, Andreas. ""Missing" USAF/DOD Aircraft Designations". Retrieved 16 February 2009.
  12. ^ Lockheed Martin APG-67 Multimode radar
  13. ^ PICTURES: KAI rolls out first production T/A-50
  14. ^ A-50 Successful AIM-9 Launch
  15. ^ A-50 Successful AGM-65 Launch
  16. ^ A-50 Growth Capability
  17. ^ South Korea to develop EA aircraft
  18. ^ International, Forecast. (2009-07-28) South Korea and Israel to Jointly Develop Radar. Defencetalk.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-05.
  19. ^ T/A-50 makers plan Israeli pitch. Flightglobal.com. Retrieved: 2011-06-05.
  20. ^ KAI / Lockheed Martin T-50 / TA-50 / FA-50 Golden Eagle. Militaryfactory.com
  21. ^ ‘국산 공격기’ FA-50 시범 비행 최초 공개
  22. ^ South Korea orders KAI F/A-50 light attack fighter prototypes. Flightglobal.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-05.
  23. ^ KAI bids to spread wings with Golden Eagle
  24. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference fgfa-50 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ a b http://www.samsungthales.com/eng/main.asp Samsung Thales: Multi-Mode Active Phase Array Radar (FA50)
  26. ^ FA-50 prototype
  27. ^ S. Korea to mass-produce armed version of trainer jet starting in 2013
  28. ^ South Korea gets T-50 work as KAI studies fighter variant
  29. ^ T-50 Development Direction
  30. ^ ADEX F-50 and A-50 model
  31. ^ Raytheon to offer AESA radar for Seoul's F/A-50 fighter
  32. ^ Korea F-16 Radar RFP-issue Is Imminent
  33. ^ FA-50S Single-Seat Conversion
  34. ^ F-50 Single-Seat Conversion
  35. ^ Eurojet offers Korea chance to join consortium
  36. ^ "KF-16 Korea Fighter Program KFP". GlobalSecurity.org.
  37. ^ "Hankuk Fiber T-50 Canopy".
  38. ^ a b c T-50 Golden Eagle. GlobalSecurity.org, updated 31 August 2005.
  39. ^ 공군 ‘블랙이글스’ T-50 교체 후 원대복귀
  40. ^ Repair & overhaul services for USFK helicopter engines, 2009
  41. ^ GE – Aviation: F404. Geae.com (2011-05-25). Retrieved on 2011-06-05.
  42. ^ a b "MDS Technology NEOS RTOS". MDS Technology.
  43. ^ "MDS Technology relies on VectorCAST for DO-178B Level A certification testing" (PDF). vectorcast.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-05.
  44. ^ MDS Technology NEOS Version 3.0 RTOS IEEE POSIX certification
  45. ^ Software Accomplishments Summary for the NEOS-178S Operating System
  46. ^ "Samsung Thales Avionics/Electronic Warfare Systems". ?.
  47. ^ "LIG Nex1 Avionics". ?.
  48. ^ "DoDAAM Systems SMC".
  49. ^ "DoDAAM Systems ATE". ?.
  50. ^ "DoDAAM Systems DPS". ?.
  51. ^ "DoDAAM Systems PMA".
  52. ^ "DoDAAM Systems MDAS". ?.
  53. ^ DoDAAM Systems R&D History
  54. ^ "DoDAAM Systems IEMMS". ?.
  55. ^ "Aeromaster ASIP/ENSIP". ?.
  56. ^ a b T-50 Avionics Embedded Software Development Using Java
  57. ^ a b Cohen, Michael. "Philippines confirms T/A-50 purchase". Janes Defence Weekly, Vol 49, Issue 32, 8 August 2012.
  58. ^ "Hanwha T-50 flight control system". ?.
  59. ^ "WIA T-50 undercarriage". ?.
  60. ^ "FirsTec T-50 Cockpit Panel". ?.
  61. ^ F-35 전투기 조종간 만드는 한국 벤처
  62. ^ T-50 Components Exhibition
  63. ^ T-50 Industrial Participants
  64. ^ Sniper Targeting Pod for FA-50
  65. ^ Condor 2 Reconnaissance Pod for FA-50
  66. ^ Rafael SPICE 1000 Guided Bomb
  67. ^ a b FA-50 Expanded Weapons and Avionics. bemil.chosun.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-05.
  68. ^ AMRAAM and Derby for FA-50
  69. ^ Python 5 and New Weapons Developed by Korea for FA-50
  70. ^ IN FOCUS: South Korea outlines strategy for indigenous fighter
  71. ^ Poland considers T-50 and Finnish Hawks for trainer deal. Flightglobal.com (2008-12-11). Retrieved on 2011-06-05.
  72. ^ BAE withdraws Hawk from Polish contest
  73. ^ Poland issues tender for new jet trainer fleet. Flightglobal.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-05.
  74. ^ Poland To Relaunch Trainer Jet Contest
  75. ^ Indonesian air force seeks to revive light attack, trainer procurements. Flightglobal.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-05.
  76. ^ Indonesia shortlists T-50 for trainer jet requirement. Koreatimes.co.kr. Retrieved on 2011-06-05.
  77. ^ Indonesia Orders 16 T-50s From Korea
  78. ^ http://www.aviaciontotal.cl/2011/03/interes-de-espana-en-el-entrenador-kai-t-50 "Spain is interested in KAI T-50"
  79. ^ "Iraq Asks for Korea’s T-50 Trainer Jets". Korea Times, 15 March 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
  80. ^ "T/A-50 Golden Eagles for Iraq?". defenseindustrydaily, 29 April 2010.
  81. ^ [http://www.janes.com/products/janes/defence-security-report.aspx?ID=1065971900&channel=defence&subChannel=triservice
  82. ^ "Korea to discuss export of 12 trainer jets to Philippines". Koreatimes.co.kr, 8 August 2012.
  83. ^ "PH to buy 12 S. Korean fighter jets". Agence France-Presse c/o ABS-CBN News. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  84. ^ UAE chooses M-346 as advanced lead-in fighter trainer. Flightglobal.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-05.
  85. ^ "UAE Reopens Talks To Buy T-50 Trainer". Defense News
  86. ^ Lee’s UAE trip raises hopes for first sale of T-50s
  87. ^ Jeong Yong-soo, Nam Koong-wook "Contractor is nabbed for ripping off the military." Korea JoongAng Daily, 16 April 2011.
  88. ^ "South Korea's Black Eagles to fly KAI T-50". Flightglobal.com, 19 March 2008.
  89. ^ Alenia Aermacchi's M-346 wins Singapore jet trainer race. Janes.com (2010-12-07). Retrieved on 2011-06-05.
  90. ^ KAI steps up T-50 pitch to Israel
  91. ^ Arie Egozi. "Israel selects Alenia Aermacchi M-346 for trainer deal". Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  92. ^ Katz, Yaakov (16 February 2012). "Italy wins IAF with combat trainer jet bid". JPost.
  93. ^ a b c "T-50 Family". KAI. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  94. ^ Indonesia buys $400M of Korean jets. Joongangdaily.joins.com (2011-05-26). Retrieved on 2011-06-05.
  95. ^ Sung-Ki, Jung. "Indonesia To Buy 16 S. Korean T-50 Trainers". Defense News, 26 May 2011.
  96. ^ Korea’s T-50 Family Spreads Its Wings. defenseindustrydaily.com, 5 January 2012.
  97. ^ T-50/TA-50 Specification & Performance. Korea Aerospace.
  98. ^ a b T-50 Golden Eagle Product Specification. Lockheed Martin.
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