Korean Information Service, President-elect Lee Myung-bak sent a personal letter to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this week, urging the selection of a Korean military jet as its next-generation trainer aircraft, officials said Wednesday (Jan. 9).
Korea’s first supersonic military trainer jet T-50 has been competing with Italy’s M-346 to win a 3 billion won ($3.2 million) deal to supply the UAE with about 40 to 60 trainer jets.
A successful bid would mean Korea’s first overseas sales of its indigenous supersonic aircraft, making it the world’s sixth-largest exporter of supersonic airplanes and increasing its market share in the global defense industry.
The UAE is expected to make the decision as early as next month.
Emphasizing that choosing the Korean jet will greatly boost industrial ties between the two countries, Lee also asked Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, to visit Seoul in the near future, Lee’s spokesperson Joo Ho-young said.
The T-50 is Korea’s first supersonic military jet, built by the country’s sole aircraft maker, Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd.
U.S. defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp. offered related technology for the development of the aircraft, which has been designed to train pilots who would fly fifth-generation fighter jets such as the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning-II.
The UAE is one of Korea’s largest export markets. Bilateral trade between the two reached more than $12.7 billion in 2005 and increased to over $70 billion last year.
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