Transfer FA-50 Technology to Poland

8 Polish Pilots Trained at 1st Combat Flight Wing

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Air Force is conducting flight training for Polish pilots to enable smooth operation of the domestically produced light attack aircraft FA-50, which Poland purchased from Korea.

According to the Air Force on the 22nd, an induction ceremony for four Polish pilots who will operate the FA-50 was held at the 1st Fighter Wing, and training began.

The first domestically produced fighter jet, the FA-50, successfully conducted a live-fire test of the AGM-65G 'Maverick' air-to-ground missile over the East Sea on the 10th.

Poland signed an implementation contract last year with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) to purchase 48 FA-50s. According to this contract, the Air Force will train a total of eight Polish pilots in two sessions this year. The first group of four pilots will be trained until July 21, and the second group of four pilots will be trained from May 8 to October 13.

The Polish pilots will receive 11 weeks of training at the 1st Fighter Wing on overall operational methods such as flight theory and aerial maneuvers using the domestically produced supersonic advanced trainer T-50, under the guidance of individual Korean Air Force pilot instructors assigned to each pilot. Afterwards, they will undergo an 11-week tactical introduction course at the 16th Fighter Wing, honing practical combat skills such as air-to-air and air-to-ground tactical training using the domestically produced tactical introduction aircraft TA-50. Then, they will move to KAI for one week of ground-based flight proficiency training using the FA-50 simulator before returning to Poland.

Major Jacek Stolarek, a Polish pilot who joined the training on this day, said, "I was very impressed by the amazing maneuverability of the T-50 at the Black Eagles Air Show held last year at the D?blin Air Base in Poland," adding, "It is meaningful to directly take control of the stick of this excellent aircraft."

The countries currently operating the T-50 series aircraft, including the T-50, TA-50, and FA-50, are Indonesia, Iraq, the Philippines, and Thailand, totaling four countries. Since 2013, the Air Force has supported flight training and simulator sessions for 47 pilots from these countries, provided maintenance know-how to their maintenance personnel, and continues to offer follow-up logistics support.