Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) said on the 26th that it signed a contract with the Philippines Ministry of National Defense for an FA-50PH fighter jet performance upgrade project.
The contract is worth about 93 billion won, including aircraft performance upgrades and follow-on logistics support. The project covers 11 FA-50PH jets that KAI delivered to the Philippines from 2015 to 2017.
The project reflects requirements derived from the Philippine Air Force's operational experience to improve aircraft performance and operational efficiency. Through this, the FA-50PH will gain strengthened precision-guided munition capability, and its range and sustained operational capability will be expanded. It will also secure enhanced, network-based combined operations capability.
A KAI official said, "Including the aircraft additionally contracted on June in, a total of 23 FA-50PHs will greatly contribute to strengthening the Philippine Air Force's airspace defense capability and maintaining a modernized air power."
Recently, competitiveness in aircraft exports has increasingly hinged on follow-on support and upgrade capabilities throughout the 30–40-plus-year airframe life cycle. In particular, as that expense amounts to two to five times the aircraft acquisition cost, its importance is rising further.
KAI CEO Cha Jae-byung said, "We will continue to expand KAI's presence in the global defense industry market through customer-tailored upgrades and systematic follow-on support projects."