First Korean-Made Aircraft Exported

Domestically-made aircraft will be exported overseas for the first time in history next month. Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) reported that it held a shipping ceremony for its first export item, the KT-1B at its Sacheon factory located in South Gyeongsang Province on April 25, with many domestic and overseas officials including Indonesia’s Chief of Staff of the Air Force in attendance.

The KT-1B is a variation of the first domestically-invested aircraft called the KT-1. The first exported aircraft, the KT-1B, has passed a barrage of safety and performance tests, and has been awaiting shipment to Indonesia, to take place at the end of May.

KAI signed some 60 million dollars in contracts for seven KT-IB aircraft including accompanying parts, as well as pilot and repairman training for the Indonesian Air Force in February, 2001. KAI plans to ship the aircraft by the end of this year.

The company is also in contract negotiations with Singapore, and has received interest from some 20 other countries including Columbia, The Philippines and Turkey. KAI expects that it will be able to export some 150 aircraft by 2012, amounting to over 500 million dollars in revenue.

With this export contract, Korea has now entered the list of the world`s top 10 aircraft exporters along with the U.S., France and Russia.

Myung-Jai Lee mjlee@donga.com