S. Korea To Tout T-50 Trainer to Singapore

S. Korea To Tout T-50 Trainer to Singapore (NSI News Source Info) SEOUL - August 26, 2008: Senior defense officials from South Korea and Singapore will meet this week in Singapore to discuss the potential sale of Seoul's T-50 supersonic trainer jets, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense here said Aug. 26. The one-day "strategic dialogue" slated for Aug. 28 is the first of its kind between defense authorities of the two nations, said Oh In-je, chief of the ministry's International Policy Bureau. The meeting is aimed at expanding bilateral defense ties and exchanges, he said. "The two sides will focus on ways to help promote close bilateral cooperation on defense industry and military exchanges during the strategic dialogue," Oh said. Jeon Jei-guk, deputy minister for policy at the Korean Defense Ministry, will represent the South Korean delegation while Singapore's delegation will be led by Gary Ang Aik Hwang, assistant deputy defense minister for policy, he noted. A top agenda item is South Korea's export of T-50s to Singapore, which wants to equip its Air Force with 12 to 16 advanced trainers under a $500 million trainer acquisition program, he added. The T-50 Golden Eagle, built by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Lockheed Martin, was included on Singapore's short list of preferred bidders, along with the M-346 of Italy, earlier this year for its trainer jet program. Singapore is expected to choose its preferred bidder by December next year, according to Defense Ministry and KAI officials. "To my knowledge, should Singapore decide to purchase T-50s, it is likely to take over the aircraft from South Korea after completing pilot training courses in Korea," a military source said, asking not to be named. "That means we can expect the sales of T-50s will draw the effect of exporting not only the advanced jet trainer but also South Korean Air Force's pilot training programs." The T-50 is South Korea's first indigenous supersonic aircraft and the world's only high-performance, supersonic trainer in production today. KAI is the prime contractor for the T-50 and Lockheed Martin is the principal subcontractor, assisting with development and international marketing. The single-engine trainer features a variety of technological advances, including digital flight controls and a modern, ground-based training system that helps new pilots smoothly transition into advanced fighters such as the F-16 and the fifth-generation F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II. The aircraft has been operational with the South Korean Air Force since 2005, when mass production started. Per-unit price is about $21 million. KAI officials expect T-50 variants will secure about 30 percent of the share of the global trainer market, or 1,100 of the 3,300 trainers needed, within the next 25 years. The T-50 is also competing with the M-346 for a $1 billion acquisition by the United Arab Emirates, which wants to purchase between 35 and 40 trainers. Other potential consumers for T-50s include the United States and Greece, according to KAI officials.