Hongdu Aviation Industry Group L-15 vs Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle
Hongdu Aviation Industry Group L-15 and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle are both trainer & light attack, compared here on public specifications. The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle leads on weapons payload (5,400 vs 3,000 kg). Several China-origin figures here are manufacturer or state claims with limited independent verification, so treat this comparison as directional.
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Full data
Full spec sheet
 Hongdu Aviation Industry Group L-15
Wins 2/8 |  Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle
Wins 6/8 | |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ||
| Max speed (km/h) | 1,520 km/h | 1,840 km/h ✓ |
| Max speed (Mach) (Mach) | 1.4 Mach | 1.5 Mach ✓ |
| Range (km) | 3,100 km ✓ | 1,851 km |
| Service ceiling (m) | 16,000 m ✓ | 14,630 m |
| Thrust-to-weight | N/A | 0.96 |
| Firepower | ||
| Hardpoints | 6 | 7 ✓ |
| Weapons payload (kg) | 3,000 kg | 5,400 kg ✓ |
| Physical | ||
| Length (m) | 12.27 m | 13.14 m |
| Empty weight (kg) | 6,500 kg | 6,470 kg |
| Combat weight (kg) | 9,800 kg | 10,722 kg |
| Crew | 2 | 2 |
| Propulsion | ||
| Thrust (kN) | 41 kN | 79 kN ✓ |
| Program | ||
| Units built | 200 | 200 |
| Operator countries | 3 | 6 ✓ |
Frequently asked questions
Which is faster, Hongdu Aviation Industry Group L-15 and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle is the fastest of the 2 compared here, at 1,840 km/h.
Which has the longer range? +
The Hongdu Aviation Industry Group L-15 has the longest range at 3,100 km.
Which carries the larger weapons payload? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle carries the largest weapons payload at 5,400 kg.
Which has the higher max speed (mach)? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle has the higher max speed (mach) at 1.5 Mach.
Which has the higher hardpoints? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle has the higher hardpoints at 7.
Which has the higher service ceiling? +
The Hongdu Aviation Industry Group L-15 has the higher service ceiling at 16,000 m.
Is the Hongdu Aviation Industry Group L-15 better than the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle? +
On the public specs we track, the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle leads on 4 of 6 headline metrics, see the full spec sheet for the metric-by-metric breakdown.
Where does this comparison data come from? +
Every figure in the table is sourced from public manufacturer pages, defense-ministry releases and reference publications, and is verifiable on each system's spec page. WeaponSpecs does not accept vendor placement.
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