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South Korea Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)
T-50 Golden Eagle
South Korea's first indigenous supersonic jet, developed with Lockheed Martin as an advanced trainer that spawned the FA-50 light attack/fighter variant used by multiple export customers. It combines a tandem two-seat cockpit with a single afterburning turbofan to deliver supersonic performance for both pilot training and light combat missions.
In service since 2005 · 6 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
1,840
km/h
1,851
km range
14,630
m ceiling
5,400
kg payload
0.96
T/W
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
ROK export-licensed
DAPA-administered; aggressive export posture with financing/offset packages.
Channel: Government-to-government
Fielded & proven
Established · 6 operators
In service since 2005. Status: active · ~200 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from.
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 1,840 km/h Top 4% of trainers
- Max speed (Mach)
Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.
- 1.5 Mach Top 5% of trainers
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 1,851 km Stronger than 57% of trainers
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 14,630 m Stronger than 72% of trainers
- Thrust-to-weight
Engine thrust divided by loaded weight. Above 1.0 the aircraft can accelerate going straight up.
- 0.96
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 20 mm General Dynamics M197 3-barrel rotary cannon, 205 rounds
- Hardpoints
External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.
- 7 Stronger than 82% of trainers
- Weapons payload
Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.
- 5,400 kg Top 4% of trainers
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 13.14 m
- Wingspan
Wingtip-to-wingtip span.
- 9.45 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 6,470 kg
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 10,722 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 2
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- 1x General Electric F404-GE-102 afterburning turbofan (license-built by Samsung Techwin/Hanwha)
- Thrust
Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).
- 79 kN Top 5% of trainers
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Turbofan
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- Lockheed Martin AN/APG-67 (T-50); Elta EL/M-2032 (TA-50/FA-50); Raytheon PhantomStrike AESA (FA-50 Block 70)
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- electro-optical targeting pod (FA-50 variants)
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 200 Stronger than 64% of trainers
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 6 Stronger than 63% of trainers
Specifications compiled from public Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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What is the top speed of the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle has a maximum speed of 1,840 km/h.
What is the range of the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle has a maximum range of 1,851 km.
What is the weapons payload of the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle can carry up to 5,400 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle weigh? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle has a combat weight of 10,722 kg.
How many crew does the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle require? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle requires a crew of 2.
What is the main armament of the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle's primary weapon is the 20 mm General Dynamics M197 3-barrel rotary cannon, 205 rounds.
What engine does the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle use? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle is powered by the 1x General Electric F404-GE-102 afterburning turbofan (license-built by Samsung Techwin/Hanwha).
What is the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle used for? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle is a trainer & light attack typically used for close air support.
How many countries operate the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle is operated by 6 countries.
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