The KAI T-50 Golden Eagle () is a family of advanced, supersonic, South Korean jet trainers, light combat aircraft, light strike fighters and multirole light fighters developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) with Lockheed Martin. It is South Korea's first indigenous supersonic aircraft and one of the world's few supersonic trainers."Domestic Light Attack Jets Due in 2013". The Korea Times, 30 December 2008.

Development of the T-50 began in the late 1990s, and its maiden flight occurred in 2002. It entered service with the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) in 2005. The T-50 has been further developed into aerobatic and combat variants, namely T-50B, TA-50, and FA-50. An F-50 single-seat multirole fighter variant was considered before being cancelled. The T-50B serves with the South Korean Air Force's aerobatics team.

The T-50 is in service with several countries. Iraq received 24 training variants designated T-50IQ in 2016. The TA-50 light attack variant has also been operated by Indonesia with 16 planes entering service in 2014 and an additional six aircraft ordered in 2021. The Philippines operates the FA-50 light fighter variant with 12 delivered. Thailand ordered 12 units of the T-50 advanced trainer variant (T-50TH) starting in 2015. In 2022, Poland ordered 48 FA-50 aircraft, followed by Malaysia in 2023 which ordered 18 of the latest Block 20 variant.

Development Origins The T-50 program was originally intended to develop an indigenous trainer aircraft capable of supersonic flight, to train and prepare pilots for the KF-16 and F-15K, replacing trainers such as T-38 and A-37 that were then in service with the ROKAF."Korea's T-50 Family Spreads Its Wings" . Defenseindustrydaily.com, 21 August 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013. Prior South Korean aircraft programs include the turboprop KT-1 basic trainer produced by Daewoo Aerospace (now part of KAI), and license-manufactured KF-16. In general, the T-50 series of aircraft, specifically the FA-50, closely resembles the KF-16 in configuration.

The mother program, code-named KTX-2, began in 1992,Korean Aerospace Industries T-50 Golden Eagle . Aeroflight but the Ministry of Finance and Economy suspended KTX-2 in 1995 due to financial constraints."KTX-2 Indigenous Trainer" . GlobalSecurity.org The basic design of the aircraft was set by 1999. The development of the aircraft was funded 70% by the South Korean government, 17% by KAI, and 13% by Lockheed Martin.

The aircraft was formally designated as the T-50 Golden Eagle in February 2000. The T-50A designation was reserved by the U.S. military to prevent it from being inadvertently assigned to another aircraft model.DOD 4120.15-L – Addendum, MDS Designators , Designation-Systems.net. Final assembly of the first T-50 took place between 15 January – 14 September 2001. The first flight of the T-50 took place in August 2002, with initial operational assessment from 28 July – 14 August 2003.

KAI and Lockheed Martin were pursuing a joint marketing program for the T-50 internationally. The ROKAF placed a production contract for 25 T-50s in December 2003, with aircraft scheduled to be delivered between 2005 and 2009.T-50 Golden Eagle Jet Trainer and Light Attack Aircraft, South Korea . Air Force Technology. Original T-50 aircraft are equipped with the AN/APG-67(v)4 radar from Lockheed Martin."Korean T-50 displays fast-jet credentials" . AIN Online, 11 December 2006. The T-50 is equipped with a GE F404 engine with Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) built under license by Samsung Techwin. Under the terms of the T-50/F404-102 co-production agreement, GE provides engine kits directly to Samsung Techwin, which produces designated parts and performs final engine assembly and testing.

Improved variants

The program has expanded beyond a trainer concept to include the TA-50 light attack aircraft and the FA-50 light combat aircraft. The TA-50 variant is a more heavily armed version of the T-50 trainer, intended for lead-in fighter training and light attack roles. It is equipped with the Elta EL/M-2032 fire control radar. The TA-50 is designed to operate as a full-fledged combat platform for precision-guided weapons, air-to-air missiles, and air-to-ground missiles. The TA-50 can mount additional utility pods for reconnaissance, targeting assistance, and electronic warfare. Reconnaissance and electronic warfare variants are also being developed, designated RA-50 and EA-50, respectively.

The FA-50 is an advanced version of the T-50, possessing more internal fuel capacity, enhanced avionics, a longer radome, and a tactical datalink.T/A-50 makers plan Israeli pitch . Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 5 June 2011. It is equipped with a modified Israeli EL/M-2032 pulse-Doppler radar with Korean-specific modifications by LIG Nex1.International, Forecast. (28 July 2009) South Korea and Israel to Jointly Develop Radar . Defencetalk.com. Retrieved 5 June 2011. The engine could be either Eurojet EJ200 or General Electric F414 with thrust of , roughly 12–25% higher than the F404's thrust; and are offered to prospective customers for the T-50. The radar of the FA-50 has a range two-thirds greater than the TA-50's radar. The EL/M-2032 was initially chosen over Lockheed Martin's preferred AN/APG-67(V)4 and SELEX Vixen 500E active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars. Other AESA radars such as Raytheon's AN/APG-79 and Northrop Grumman's AN/APG-83 are options for future production,South Korea orders KAI F/A-50 light attack fighter prototypes . Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 5 June 2011. and may be shared with the radar chosen for USAF and ROKAF F-16 fighters. During the 2010s, Samsung Thales independently worked on a domestic multi-mode AESA radar for the FA-50.Archived copy Samsung Thales: Multi-Mode Active Phase Array Radar (FA50)

In December 2008, South Korea awarded a contract to KAI to convert four T-50s to FA-50 standard by 2012. In 2012, the ROKAF ordered 20 FA-50 fighters to be delivered by the end of 2014. The maiden flight of the FA-50 took place in 2011.FA-50 prototype 60 FA-50 aircraft are to be produced for the ROKAF from 2013 to 2016. KAI received a order for the FA-50 in May 2013.

In December 2015, KAI revealed the KAI-LM T-50 T-X upgrade intended to compete in the U.S. T-X program. This variant features a dorsal hump for extra internal fuel and an aerial refuelling receptacle, large area display (LAD), and embedded ground training systems.Lockheed proposes KAI T-50A for T-X over Skunk Works design – Flightglobal.com, 11 February 2016

In October ADEX 2017, KAI unveiled the T-50A as a new variant based on the FA-50, including fifth generation cockpit, an aerial refuelling receptacle, cockpit multifunction display, dorsal hump for extra internal fuel, and an embedded training suite. By January 2019, KAI had begun development on the improved FA-50, referred to as the Block 10 and Block 20 upgrades. Block 10 is a software upgrade that can use the Lockheed Martin AN/AAQ-33 sniper targeting pod, while the Block 20 has an improved capability for beyond-visual-range air-to-air missions, carrying munitions such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM.

On 15 May 2023, KAI chose the Raytheon PhantomStrike over the Northrop Grumman AN/APG-83 to be the FA-50 Block 20's radar. The PhantomStrike weighs (lighter than the existing FA-50 radar) and is an air-cooled compact AESA radar with digital beam forming and steering, multi-mode functionality and interleaved ground and air targeting capabilities. PhantomStrike was delivered to KAI in 2025, according to Raytheon.

KAI had developed plans for a single-seat version of the FA-50 designated the F-50. This plan was initially put on hold to focus on development of the KF-21, but it was later revisited as part of an effort by the company to increase export sales. The F-50 is claimed to have 80% of the capabilities of an F-16 but at a lower cost; development is planned to be completed by 2028.Korean Aerospace Industries eyes new fighter designs, FA-50 sales in Pacific. Breaking Defense. 1 June 2023. The South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) began funding the project in 2024. The F-50 will remove the second pilot and cockpit and install a auxiliary fuel system that will extend its operational radius over the FA-50's by 20%–30%.

Design Overview

The T-50 Golden Eagle resembles the F-16 Fighting Falcon, though it is only 80% of the size. The trainer has seating for two pilots in a tandem arrangement. The high-mounted canopy developed by Hankuk Fiber is applied with stretched acrylic, providing the pilots with good visibility. The trainer has been tested to offer the canopy with ballistic protection against 4 lb objects impacting at 400 knots. The altitude limit is 14,600 m (48,000 ft), and the airframe is designed to last 8,000 hours of service. The seven internal fuel tanks have a capacity of 2,655 L (701 US gal), five in the fuselage and two in the wings. An additional 1,710 L (452 US gal) of fuel can be carried in the three external fuel tanks. T-50 trainer variants have a paint scheme of white and red, and aerobatic variants white, black, and yellow.

The T-50 uses a single General Electric F404-102 turbofan engine license-produced by Samsung Techwin,Repair & overhaul services for USFK helicopter engines , 2009 upgraded with a FADEC system jointly developed by General Electric and KAI.GE – Aviation: F404 . Geae.com (25 May 2011). Retrieved 5 June 2011. The engine consists of three-staged fans, a seven-axial-stage arrangement, and an afterburner. The aircraft has a maximum speed of Mach 1.5. Its engine produces a maximum of 78.7 kN (17,700 lbf) of thrust with afterburner. The more powerful GE F414 and Eurojet EJ200 engines have been suggested as the new engine for the T-50 family.

Avionics

Lockheed Martin designed many of the avionics and provides the fly-by-wire system. The T-50's central processing unit and its operating system are developed by MDS Technology. The T-50's NEOS avionics operating system is the first and only real-time operating system to be developed by an Asian company, and holds both DO-178B and IEEE POSIX certification."MDS Technology relies on VectorCAST for DO-178B Level A certification testing" (PDF). vectorcast.com. Retrieved 5 June 2011. Samsung Thales and LIG Nex1 are the main avionics and Electronic warfare equipment developers for T-50 and its variants. Other South Korean companies and defense institutes such as DoDAAM Systems, Aeromaster, Intellics, and Korea Institute of Defense Analysis are responsible for the aircraft's secondary avionics and embedded systems, including store management computers, avionics testing equipment, flight data recorders, portable maintenance aids, data analysis software, post-flight data processing system, aircraft structure and engine management software, and mission planning and support systems. The TA-50 version is equipped with an Elta EL/M-2032 fire control radar.

The T-50 is equipped with a Honeywell H-764G embedded global positioning/inertial navigation system and HG9550 radar altimeter. The aircraft is the first trainer to feature triple-redundant digital fly-by-wire controls.T-50 Golden Eagle . GlobalSecurity.org, updated 31 August 2005. The cockpit panels, switches, and joysticks are produced by South Korea's FirsTec and Sungjin Techwin, head-up display by DoDaaM Systems, and multi-function display by Samsung Thales. Other South Korean subcontractors such as Elemech, Dawin Friction, and Withus cooperate in T-50 components production. Hanwha supplies the mechanical parts for the flight control system, and WIA supplies the undercarriage.

Armament and equipment