Korea Aerospace Industries is interested in selling FA-50 fighters to Romania

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) presented the FA-50 light multipurpose aircraft in Romania and expressed its interest in establishing cooperation.

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KAI has expressed interest in future cooperation with the Romanian aviation industry, during a recent conference on defence cooperation between the Republic of Korea and Romania held in Bucharest.

In particular, KAI offered to cooperate in the joint production of certain aircraft components, maintenance, and the joint development of a simulator for the FA-50. The Korean company emphasised the competitive advantages of the aircraft, such as its low price and fast delivery times.

"The FA-50 will not only strengthen the capabilities of the Romanian Air Force in the future, but will also be an extremely cost-effective solution in terms of maintenance costs, while KAI wants to become a partner of the Romanian aerospace industry," said the company's representative, Yuri Lee.

During the Kadex military exhibition in South Korea, KAI representatives demonstrated the life-cycle cost calculation of the FA-50 compared to the F-16, highlighting that operating 10 FA-50s could save the operator two billion dollars over the entire period of their use. This calculation included operation and maintenance costs.

By the way, in early October 2024, South Korea assembled the fuselage of the first FA-50PL combat aircraft intended for Poland.

Source: Defence Romania