Korea Aerospace Industries
KAI T-50B Golden Eagle
KAI T-50 Golden Eagle (Korean: 골든이글)
Role T-50: Advanced jet trainer
TA-50: Lead-in fighter trainer
FA-50: Light combat aircraft
National origin South Korea
Manufacturer Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)
Lockheed Martin
First flight 20 August 2002
Introduction 22 February 2005
Status In service
Primary users Republic of Korea Air Force
Iraqi Air Force
Indonesian Air Force
Philippine Air Force
Produced 2001–present
Number built 200 (all models)
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History Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI
KAI T-50 Golden Eagle (Korean: 골든이글)
The KAI T-50 Golden Eagle (Korean: 골든이글) is a family of South Korean supersonic advanced jet trainers and light combat aircraft, developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) with Lockheed Martin. The T-50 is South Korea's first indigenous supersonic aircraft and one of the world's few supersonic trainers
The T-50 has been in service with a number of countries. Iraq ordered 24 training variants called the T-50IQ in 2013, and received them in 2016. The TA-50 light attack variant have also been ordered by Indonesia in 2011, with 16 planes entering service by 2014; an additional 6 planes were ordered in 2021. The Philippines ordered 12 units of the FA-50 light fighter variant in 2014, delivered over the next few years with the country considering to order another batch of 12 planes. 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 that ordered 18 of the latest Block 20 variant.
The T-50 Golden Eagle resembles the F-16 Fighting Falcon, though it is only 80% of the size. The aerospace engineering units of Samsung, Hyundai, and Daewoo were merged to form KAI, and Lockheed Martin designed the avionics including providing the fly-by-wire system.
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 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 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, upgraded with a FADEC system jointly developed by General Electric and KAI. 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.0
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Korea Aerospace Industries
KAI T-50 Golden Eagle
Korean Aerospace Industries
KAI T-50 Golden Eagle
General Info
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- Crew: 2
- Length: 13.144 m (43 ft 1 in)
- Wingspan: 9.45 m (31 ft 0 in) with wingtip missiles
- Height: 4.94 m (16 ft 2 in)
- Wing area: 23.69 m2 (255.0 sq ft)
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Powerplant
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- Empty weight: 6,470 kg
- Max takeoff weight: 12,300 kg
- Fuel capacity: 2,655 litres (701 US gal) internal
- Payload: 4.8 t (4.7 long tons; 5.3 short tons) external
- Powerplant: 1 × General Electric F404 afterburning turbofan engine (built under license by Samsung Techwin), 53.07 kN (11,930 lbf) thrust dry, 78.7 kN (17,700 lbf) with afterburner
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Performance
- Maximum speed: 1,837.5 km/h at 9,144 m
- Maximum speed: Mach 1.5
- Range: 1,851 km (1,150 mi, 999 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 14,630 m
- g limits: +8 −3
- Rate of climb: 198 m/s (39,000 ft/min)
Armament
- Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) General Dynamics A-50 3-barrel rotary cannon, 205 rounds
- Hardpoints: Total of 7 with 4 underwing 2 wingtip and one under fuselage; holding up to 5,400 kg (12,000 lb) of payload
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Links to Youtube & Others
The TA-50 version has a three-barrel cannon version of the M61 Vulcan mounted internally behind the cockpit, which fires linkless 20 mm ammunition.[11] Wingtip rails can accommodate the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile, and a variety of additional weapons can be mounted on underwing hardpoints.
KAI T-50 Golden Eagle
In 2011, the first squadron with the TA-50, the T-50's light attack variant, became operational with the ROKAF.[79] The ROKAF's Black Eagles aerobatic team
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