Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) celebrated the inauguration of its sixth overseas base office at Minsk Air Base in Poland on July 19th.
This new Polish base office joins KAI's existing international offices in Turkey, the Philippines, Indonesia, Peru, and Thailand. The opening ceremony was attended by more than 100 guests, including KAI CS Center Director Sangjae Lee, Minsk Air Base Deputy Commander Ryszard Gorczyca, General Maciej Trelka, General Robert Cierniak, Head of Military Investigation Follow-up Support Tomasz Polus, KOTRA Warsaw Trade Representative Lee Jung-hoon, representatives from the Korean Embassy in Poland, and officials from the Polish Air Force.
The primary objective of the newly established base office is to facilitate seamless communication with KAI's local office in Warsaw and provide essential customer and technical support for the delivery of 48 FA-50s to Poland. Situated at Minsk Air Base, the office will operate round the clock to ensure close and precise assistance, thus bolstering the Polish Air Force's strength and enhancing the utilization rate of their aircraft through stable operations.
Among its initial tasks, the base office will play a crucial role in supporting the acceptance flight and delivery of FA-50GFs 1 and 2, which have already arrived in Poland.
Looking forward, KAI envisions the Polish base office as a strategic hub to showcase K-Defense's prowess and the excellence of domestic aircraft to other European countries seeking to replace aging fighter jets and train 4th and 5th generation fighter pilots.
A key priority for KAI is to expedite the delivery of 12 out of the 48 aircraft specified in the contract with Poland within the current year. This swift delivery is expected to demonstrate KAI's production capabilities, potentially leading to further interest from neighboring countries.
Moreover, KAI has proposed a comprehensive mid- to long-term follow-up operation support project for the Polish Air Force. This project includes maintenance, technical and military support, parts procurement, and education and training services. The company intends to continue discussions with Polish authorities on these matters in the future.
The growing global reputation of domestic aircraft, thanks to successful FA-50 exports and their stable operational performance, has opened up possibilities for entering overseas markets with various models like KF-21 and Surion.
"KAI's operational support capabilities are already highly regarded by the Korean Air Force and overseas exporters," said Lee Sang-jae, head of KAI's CS Center. "We will further expand our cooperation with Poland by providing complete technical support and customer satisfaction through our base office."
