UAE Defense Special Envoy to Visit South Korea This Month... Why?

T-50 / Photo by Republic of Korea Air Force

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Mohamed Ahmed Al Bowardi, UAE Minister of State for Defense Affairs, will visit Korea on the 24th of this month. This visit is aimed at purchasing the domestically produced T-50 advanced trainer aircraft, and if the export deal is successful, a defense export contract worth around 4 trillion won is expected.

On the 4th, a government official said, "The UAE Minister of State for Defense Affairs plans to visit Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), LIG Nex1, Hanwha, and others during his stay," adding, "There were recent discussions in the UAE regarding the advanced trainer aircraft project, so this visit is partly for an on-site inspection."

The UAE Minister of State for Defense Affairs originally planned to visit Korea earlier this year, but the visit was postponed to last month due to the impact of COVID-19, and was delayed again when President Moon Jae-in visited the UAE.

The UAE had pursued the introduction of trainer aircraft since 2008 and initially selected an Italian model, but decided to cancel the plan due to poor industrial cooperation. Currently, the UAE is reportedly weighing between the T-50 and the Chinese-made military aircraft L-15. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, UAE, demonstrated diplomatic friendship by visiting China during the Beijing Olympics.

UAE state-run WAM news agency reported on the 23rd of last month (local time) that the UAE Ministry of Defense is importing 12 units of the Chinese-made L-15 military aircraft. At that time, Tawazun Economic Council, which manages procurement contracts for the UAE Ministry of Defense, issued a statement saying it plans to sign such a contract with 'China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation' (CATIC).