Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) said on the 10th that it will carry out a performance upgrade project for the simulators of the Air Force's mainstay fighter, the KF-16.
The performance upgrade project will be carried out jointly by KAI and U.S. defense company Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin, which developed the F-16 fighter, won the KF-16 simulator performance upgrade project originally ordered by the military. Under a strategic MOU, Lockheed Martin entrusted the project to KAI.
The crux of the performance upgrade is to modify the KF-16 simulators to match the performance of Lockheed Martin's F-16 Viper. The F-16 Viper is the latest version of the F-16, equipped with advanced avionics and an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. Over the next six years, KAI plans to convert the military's nine KF-16 simulators to the same configuration as the F-16V variant.
Under this contract, KAI will update key simulator components and provide on-site technical support with the goal of improving pilot training environments and enhancing equipment reliability. KAI plans to actively leverage its experience of independently developing and delivering more than 70 simulators, including for the T-50, KT-1, Surion, and LAH, for this project.
In addition to domestically developed aircraft, KAI is expanding its business scope beyond aviation into the maritime domain with projects such as the P-3C simulator, the Navy's Jangbogo-III helm training equipment, and the high-speed landing craft (LSF-II) simulator. It is also pursuing development of VR and MR simulators applying Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies such as AI, big data, and the Metaverse.