On May 11, the Korea Air Force Academy held a ceremony in Cheongju, 137 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to celebrate the fielding of the KT-100, the country’s first indigenous trainer jet developed by KAI.
The KT-100 -- a basic trainer variant of the KC-100 Naraon light aircraft which was developed in a research project backed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport -- will replace the Russian trainer T-103 that has been used to train beginner-level cadets.
The KT-100 made its maiden flight in Oct. 2015. With the deployment of KT-100 jets, S. Korea's Air Force will be able to use locally built trainers in all pilot training courses, from basic to advanced courses. The Air Force currently uses the KT-1 for basic training and the T-50 “Golden Eagle” for advanced training.
The Air Force plans to introduce about 20 KT-100 trainers in stages by the end of this year. And it will also foster flight instructors and launch an introductory pilot training course using the KT-100 starting from next year.
