South Korea is preparing to expand its successful FA-50 Trainer and Light Attack Aircraft family. According to information shared by an X (former Twitter) user, work is continuing at full speed on a new single-seat variant of the currently twin-seat FA-50 aircraft. Another important sign supporting this development is that Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the manufacturer of the FA-50, recently announced a tender for the production of a simulator for the single-seat FA-50 model.
Tender for Single Person Controllability Simulator
In the tender announcement published by KAI, the project is clearly defined as “FA-50 single-person controllability assessment simulator cockpit production”. The scope of the tender is quite broad; it includes critical stages such as the design, manufacturing, installation and integration support of the simulator cockpit. Another striking point in the announcement is that certain financial and legal conditions are sought for participation in the tender. Accordingly, companies applying to the tender must not be in bankruptcy or insolvency, must not be subject to any government sanctions and must not have national or local tax debts. In addition, companies that do not have a capital impairment, whose debt ratio is below 500% according to the latest financial statements and have an audit opinion that is not classified as “opinion rejection” or “inappropriate” by audit firms will be able to participate in the tender.
Foundations of Single-Seat FA-50 Laid in March 2024
The idea of developing a single-seat version of the FA-50 is not new. In March 2024, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) announced plans to develop a single-seat variant of the FA-50 fighter jet in order to expand its product line and increase its share of the global market. This major announcement came after the KAI board of directors decided to invest a total of 90.9 billion won (approximately $68.8 million) in the project.
With the implementation of the single-seat version, the aircraft’s second cockpit will be eliminated and an additional 300-gallon fuel tank will be placed in this area. This will give the new single-seat FA-50 variant an estimated range of around 20% to 30%, or around 443 kilometers (239 nautical miles), compared to the current two-seat models. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2028. The main goal of this program is to significantly increase the competitiveness of the FA-50 platform in export markets where air forces need multi-role combat aircraft but have more limited budgets or infrastructure constraints. The single-seat configuration is also expected to reduce the aircraft’s cost and potentially increase its weapons carrying capacity. The move is likely to further strengthen South Korea’s claim in the light attack aircraft market.
