Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

A roll-out ceremony held at KAI in Sacheon, Gyeongnam

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak attended

“Korea and Poland: Bilateral friendship and cooperation expected to grow”

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup makes congratulatory remarks at the roll-out ceremony for the first FA-50GF fighter to be exported to Poland, held at KAI on June 7.

The first FA-50GF fighter aircraft to be exported to Poland made its debut. Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) held a ceremony to roll out the first fighter on June 7 at its headquarters in Sacheon, Gyeongsangnam-do.

The ceremony was attended by Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, First Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Jang Young-jin, Air Force Chief of Staff Jung Sang-hwa, Polish Air Force Commander Irenaeus Novak, Defense Acquisition Program Administration Minister Eom Dong-hwan, Polish Ambassador to Korea Piotr Ostaszewski, and KAI President Kang Gu-young.

The first batch of FA-50 aircraft for Poland has been named the ‘FA-50GF (gap filler)’, denoting its role in filling the force gap left by rapid decommissioning Polish old fighters and early fielding of new ones. The FA-50GF will undergo a flight test by July and delivery will begin in August. A total of 12 fighters will be sent to Poland by the end of this year.

In his congratulatory remarks, Minister Lee said, “This fighter is equipped with superior maneuverability and armament capabilities, and I am glad that Korea’s FA-50GF fighters with stable logistical support can contribute to the security of Poland.”

“We were able to successfully push for this defense cooperation project within a short span of time due to not only our company's outstanding technology and production capacity, but also the trust between the two countries and Poland's determination," Lee added.

He also said, “Like the Polish saying, ‘Friendship is like wine; the older, the better,’ I hope the bilateral relationship of friendship and cooperation will develop further with today’s event as a momentum.”

Deputy Prime Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said, “Thanks to the speedy roll-out of the FA-50GF, Poland is now able to reinforce itself with more advanced military strength and realize military modernization. I look forward to seeing the FA-50GF fly in the airspace of Poland."

Meanwhile, the KAI is scheduled to deliver 36 out of total 48 aircrafts in the contract from the second half of 2025 to 2028 with the designation of FA-50PL (Poland), the upgraded version of the FA-50 with the most advanced specifications to meet the requirements of the Polish Air Force. The FA-50PL, which is upgraded by extending its range through the aerial refueling function and enhancing the active electronically scanned array (AESA) and air-to-surface and air-to-air weapons, is expected to reinforce the combat strength of the Polish Air Force, according to KAI.

By Hyun-woo, Seo <lgiant61@dema.mi.kr>

<Copyright ⓒ The Korea Defense Daily, All rights reserved>