Air Force Wants 2 More T-50THs in 2025

19 Maret 2024

T-50TH trainer aircraft (photo: RTAF)

A small project in the Air Force's 2024 White Paper, which is in the Training group, is the Air Force's plan to purchase two more T-50TH trainer jets, with a budget request in 2025 and a budget commitment between 2025-2028, which the aircraft This plane is a training plane, but the aircraft is equipped with equipment and weapons that can be used in combat if war breaks out.

If it succeeds this will be phase 5 of this project, and it is considered that the Air Force will receive all the aircraft as planned from the beginning, which intended for this squadron to have 16 aircraft, with the previous 4 phases divided into:

- Phase 1: Purchase 4 T-50THs.

- Phase 2: Purchase 8 T-50THs.

- Phase 3: Installs equipment to upgrade to the FA-50 Block 10 with better weapons capabilities. It is equipped with an EL/M-2032 radar, an SPS-1000 radar receiver system, an ALE-47 CMDS decoy launch device, a Sniper ATP targeting pod to install a GBU-12 laser-guided bomb, etc.

- Phase 4: Purchase of 2 T-50THs, which was postponed due to COVID-19, according to the original plan to buy 4 aircraft, cut down to 2 aircraft.

Therefore, these 2 aircraft in Phase 5 will be considered to complete the project, which is likely to have a Block 10 aircraft that has the same characteristics as the other aircraft. In total, Squadron 401 will have a total of 16 T-50TH aircraft.

(TAF)