Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) announced on October 31 that it participated in the Peru International Defense Exhibition (SITDEF 2021) and carried out marketing activities for exporting Korean aircraft.
SITDEF, which celebrated its 8th anniversary this year, is the largest defense exhibition in Latin America. At the last exhibition, 192 companies from 27 countries and 50,000 people from home and abroad participated.
At this exhibition, KAI introduced the T-50 supersonic advanced trainer, the FA-50 light attack aircraft, and the Surion mobile helicopter.
The company intensively discussed ways to expand the aviation industry through interviews with the Peruvian Air Force leaders and business officials, focusing on the performance improvement of the FA-50.
Recently, the Peruvian Air Force is considering replacing the latest air force. It is also planning to acquire a total of 24 supersonic light attack aircraft.
The export-type FA-50 has applied an air-to-air refueling function to improve air-to-air and air-to-ground armament capabilities and extend its range. KAI expects that it will be a good proposal for the Peruvian Air Force due to its high efficiency that can be used as trainers and light fighters.
Peruvian President Pedro Castillo, who visited the KAI booth, showed a positive interest in improving the performance of the FA-50.
"I am well aware of the excellent performance of the FA-50 in service with the Korean Air Force and various countries," said President Castillo. "I hope that cooperation in defense industry with South Korea will be enhanced so that it can contribute to the modernization of the Peruvian air force."
KAI Managing Director Kim Han-il emphasized, "The FA-50 is the optimal model for modernizing the Peruvian Air Force in terms of performance, price, and follow-up support."
In 2012, KAI signed a contract to export 20 KT-1P basic trainers with Peru. According to the local production method, it has contributed to the development of Peru's aviation industry through mutual cooperation such as technical cooperation and human resource training support.
Meanwhile, KAI plans to launch full-scale marketing activities in advanced markets such as North America and Oceania from next year.
KAI aims to expand the export of the FA-50 to a total of 1,000 units over the next 20 years by continuously reducing costs and improving performance.