Astonishing speed of delivery: Polish Air Force already has 10 Kai FA-50 light fighters

The ninth and tenth of the 12 FA-50 fighters to be delivered to Poland this year are already at the Minsk Air Base.

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Demonstrating an astonishing speed of delivery, Korea Aerospace Industries produced and delivered 10 of the 12 FA-50GF light fighters (the first pair of aircraft arrived in Poland in July), which are in the process of being integrated into the Polish Air Force at its Minsk base.

9 i 10 egzemplarz FA-50 już w Polsce. Dziś rozpoczyna się proces ich integracji w Mińsku Mazowieckim. pic.twitter.com/Pmoy0ouxtB

— Mariusz Błaszczak (@mblaszczak) November 6, 2023

FA-50GF, quick replacement

The aircraft of the first FA-50 batch for Poland are designated FA-50GF (Gap Filler) because they come to fill the gap left by the decommissioning of MiG-29 fighters (being delivered to Ukraine) inherited from the Soviet era. An advantage pointed out by the Polish Air Force for the rapid integration of the FA-50 is its high interoperability with F-16s (from which they are derived) and its compatibility with currently available ground facilities and equipment.

Ten of these units are already in Poland and, according to the planned delivery schedule, the last pair of aircraft is expected to arrive in the European country before the end of the year. The other 36 FA-50PLs will begin arriving as of 2025.

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The advanced Polish FA-50

KAI will deliver 36 of the 48 units under the Polish contract in the FA-50PL (Poland) version, an upgraded variant of the FA-50 to Polish specifications, from the second half of 2025 to 2028.

While not specified in the original agreement, KAI confirmed that the FA-50PL will have in-flight refueling capability. Poland selected Raytheon’s AESA PhantomStrike radar to equip its 36 upgraded aircraft.

It will also incorporate advanced air-to-air and air-to-surface ordnance, such as AMRAAM missiles, Maverik missiles, laser- and satellite-guided bombs, etc., as well as the Sniper laser designation pod.

But in addition to its combat capability, the FA-50PL is optimized for the preparation and training of pilots to make the transition to the fifth-generation fighters, such as the F-35 that Poland will receive in the future.