The Inspector of the Air Force positive about the purchase of the FA-50. “Fighter in good configuration and with good capabilities”

The FA-50s are well configured fighters with good capabilities; their job will be to fight both ground targets and guided missiles. They will also enable the optimization of the cost of day-to-day aviation operations – PAP Air Force Inspector at DGRSZ Gen. Ireneusz Nowak. The link to the interview was posted on his Twitter profile by Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Ministry of National Defense, Mariusz Błaszczak.

General Nowak on FA-50 aircraft

On Wednesday in South Korea, during the visit of Mariusz Błaszczak, Deputy Prime Minister, Head of the Ministry of National Defense, a rollout ceremony (public presentation) of the first FA-50 fighter aircraft for the Polish Air Force took place. The Polish Ministry of Defense has ordered 12 such machines, which will reach the country in the coming months; another order provides for the delivery of an additional 36 machines in the Polonized FA-50PL version.

Asked about the use and capabilities of these aircraft, General Nowak told PAP that this aircraft “will be used in Polish aviation mainly for missions such as aerial isolation of the battlefield, as well as for direct support of troops fighting on land – i.e. Close Air Support Missions”.

For this you need weapons that allow you to attack targets on the ground; such targets could be ammunition depots, logistics hubs or command posts, but also the army in the field

he pointed it out.

Such tasks, he says, are GPS-corrected JDAM GBU-38 bombs, which are currently used by the Polish F-16 and will also be used by the FA-50.

The aircraft will also use GBU-12 laser-guided bombs, which will be guided by the Sniper targeting pod, which is also used by our F-16s.

General Nowak pointed out and added that the containers purchased for the FA-50 could make up for the shortcomings in this equipment used in the F-16.

These bombs allow you to carry out missions beyond the range of the direct air defenses used by the enemy. In addition, we will do our utmost to implement a GPS corrected hover bomb called KGGB – Korean GPS Guided Bomb. It is a bomb that weighs 500 pounds and is equipped with a module that glides in flight with wings outstretched – while gliding it can hit targets up to 70-80 km away

– also pointed out the Inspector of the Air Force.

“We tested this radar

He added that 70 percent of the FA-50’s planned activities are missions related to targets on land, while 30 percent. including combat against air targets.

At the moment, the aircraft is equipped with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles – these are older, infrared-guided missiles, which, however, provide a very important ability to combat cruise missiles. This is another conclusion from our analyzes of the Ukraine conflict – we already know that in the air domain the main threat will not really be aviation, but self-propelled cruise missiles flying quite low above the ground, at an altitude of about 100 meters

– he noted, stressing that well-deployed fighters are also needed to combat such threats.

When it comes to fighting air targets, in the case of the FA-50 we will no longer focus on fighting enemy aircraft, but on hunting these cruise missiles

he stressed. As General Nowak pointed out, the FA-50s have radar suitable for this type of mission – for the first 12 machines that the Polish Air Force will receive, it is the Israeli EL/M-2032 design.

We tested this radar – it’s not a small, weak radar at all. (…) It is difficult to talk about a prosthesis

he noticed.

As he added, the next 36 machines in the FA-50PL version will be equipped with a radar produced by Raytheon – Phantom Strike.

This is the technology currently used on the F-35. (…) This radar is not only modern itself, but will also allow integration with the most modern American armaments

General Nowak noted. He added that such selection of equipment would allow different types of armaments and equipment to be used interchangeably in all the aircraft the Air Force will have – FA-50, F-16 and F-35.

“We will optimize the costs of aviation training”

The air force inspector also drew attention to the issue of the use of aircraft outside of armed conflicts in the day-to-day functioning of aviation.

In peacetime there are two tasks – firstly, to keep the pilots in the proper readiness and the right degree of training – pilots must fly and train daily. On the other hand, there are combat shifts – very large troops and resources are involved. FA-50s will also be used in this system of duty pairs – because, for example, in the case of such Air Policing missions, where it is necessary to fly and visually identify the aircraft that has lost communication, for example, we do not necessarily need to use the F-16 or F-35, it can be much cheaper with the FA-50

he said.

Thanks to the FA-50, we optimize the costs of aviation training

said Gen. Nowak, drawing attention to his personal experience flying the FA-50, which consumed 1.5 tons of fuel during a training flight of about an hour, while the F-16 burned about 3.5 tons during a similar flight. tons of fuel would be consumed.

This number shows that the FA-50 aircraft will give us the opportunity to reduce training costs

– he said.

He added that the FA-50 is compatible with the F-16 from a pilot and aircraft maintenance perspective. As he said, the FA-50’s cockpit and control systems are nearly identical to those of the F-16, allowing pilots to fly both types of aircraft with only a short training.

If you’re an F-16 pilot, you step into the FA-50 and you’re basically home. (…) It is a completely hassle-free transfer; it will also work the other way around

– he said, pointing out that this will facilitate and speed up the pilot training process.

General Nowak added that the situation is similar in the case of aircraft maintenance technicians.

He also stressed that the FA-50 aircraft can also serve as a training facility for pilots.

The FA-50 is a fighter – I use this term on purpose – with a training function. It comes from the prototype, which was a training aircraft, advanced training called T-50 Golden Eagle; while the FA-50 is already a very mature, final stage of development of this aircraft and is indeed a combat aircraft, it can attack ground targets as well as air targets. In addition, it remained in the same layout as the T-50 – it has two cockpits, so it can also have this school function

– he said.

“Isn’t it more controversial to keep the MiGs and Su-22s?”

In addition, he noted, the FA-50 can communicate with other NATO machines using the LINK-16 data exchange system and allows flying at night using night vision goggles, which has been completely impossible on the planet until now. post-Soviet machines.

As he assessed, the FA-50’s capabilities mean that it should be described as a “fighter with a training function” rather than a “trainer and fighter”. General Nowak also pointed out that the training of the first FA-50 pilots in South Korea, which will take about 5 months, will be completed in July. He also recalled that receiving the FA-50 will allow the final withdrawal of the Polish Air Force’s post-Soviet MiG-29 and Su-22 aircraft.

This is very important from my point of view. (…) Sometimes, when I read that the purchase of the FA-50 is controversial, I wonder if it is not even more controversial to keep the MiG-29 and Su-22. These are aircraft that generate huge operating costs for us, they cost a lot of money, there are virtually no parts for them. Moreover, for this cost we may not get zero, but minimal operational capabilities

– emphasized the inspector of the Air Force.

Now we get a real combat aircraft, in a good configuration, with good operational capabilities, that fits perfectly into its niche – combating ground targets, advanced training and optimizing training costs. It’s hard to say it’s controversial, especially since we receive them very quickly. Let me remind you that we have already given 14 MiG-29s to Ukraine, at the moment we have only one squadron of these machines left, and we cannot afford it – if you do not have aircraft, you lose pilots. They won’t wait forever for new planes. To do their job, they have to fly – rhythmically and daily

he noticed.

The Air Force inspector added that it is necessary to train dozens of pilots as soon as possible from three airbases of the 1st Tactical Air Wing, where post-Soviet machines are stationed.

They won’t fly anytime soon. It should also be viewed in these terms – if we hadn’t decided to buy the FA-50, we could probably consider liquidating the entire 1st Wing

he assessed.

Korean fighter jets

Poland also ordered 48 FA-50s from South Korea. As announced by the Ministry of National Defense, delivery of the first 12 aircraft is scheduled for the second half of 2023; while deliveries of 36 FA-50PLs will start in 2025 and should be completed within 2-3 years.

The FA-50 Fighting Eagle is a South Korean light two-seat fighter aircraft. According to the Armament Agency, basic armament is a 20mm cannon and a wide variety of aerial armaments, including AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missiles, as well as several types of aerial bombs of various types. It is powered by a 17,700 lb (79 kN) turbofan engine with afterburner. The maximum speed is Mach 1.5 (1837.5 km/h). The operational range of the aircraft is 1,800 km and the maximum ceiling is 14.6 km. The aircraft’s empty weight is 6.47 tons, with a maximum take-off weight of 12.3 tons, enabling it to carry armaments weighing up to 4.5 tons.

“The general personally flew these machines”

A link to the interview with General Nowak was posted on Twitter by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Mariusz Błaszczak, referring to the criticism of the Ministry of National Defense related to the purchase of the FA-50.

I recommend talking to the first pilot of the Polish Armed Forces, Brigadier General. I Nowak. The General personally flew these machines

– He wrote.

READ ALSO: Błaszczak: The first copies of the FA-50 are already being delivered in Poland. We only use these planes and F-16s and soon also F-35s

aja/PAP