The Korean State procurement agency the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), announced that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) had been signed between KAI and the State-Owned Slovak aircraft maintenance firm, LOTN. The Slovak-South Korea agreement was signed in Budapest, Hungary by South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration Minister Kang Eun-ho.
Slovakia is considering the replacement of the aging advanced trainer L-39, and the FA-50 is considered as one of the strong candidates. The MOU will facilitate negotiations between KAI and LOTN about potential industrial offsets, should the FA-50 be selected by Slovakia.
The KAI T-50 Golden Eagle 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. Development began in the late 1990s, and its maiden flight occurred in 2002. The aircraft entered active service with the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) in 2005.