KAI T-50 고등훈련기 UAE 수출 가능성 살아있다...

 

AW&ST 12월 14일자 기사입니다. 내용은 UAE 가 추진하고 있는 고등훈련기 획득사업에서 우리 대한민국의 KAI T-50 고등훈련기의

수출 가능성이 여전히 살아 있다는 분석입니다.

 

지난 2월 UAE 고등훈련기 사업에서 T-50 은 이탈리아 Alenia Aermacchi 사의 M-346 에 밀려 탈락한 바 있으며, 그 동안 UAE 는

M-346 의 최종 도입계약을 위해 Aermachci 사와 협상을 진행해 왔습니다.

 

그러나 가격문제와 UAE 측이 새롭게 요구하는 경공격기 모델의 개발 그리고 UAE 가 F-16 Falcon 의 최신 모델 Block 60 의 첫 도입

국가로써 지금까지 겪고 있는 시행착오 등에 대한 경험 등에 비추어볼때 아직 실전배치가 이루어지지 않은 M-346 의 도입을 망설이는

것이 아닌가 판단됩니다.

 

이러한 점에서 T-50 골든이글은 이미 대한민국 공군이 실전배치하여 훌륭히 그 임무를 수행하고 있고, TA-50/FA-50 등으로 이어지는

후속 모델의 개발 계획은 큰 장점으로 부각될 것으로 기대됩니다.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

  Dubai Airshow 2007 (© Flight Global)

 

More Haste Risks Less Speed

Initial time frame for UAE’s M-346 deal begins to look overly optimistic

Aviation Week & Space Technology    12/14/2009

Authors: Douglas Barrie, Robert Wall and Andy Nativi

 

Technical and financial obstacles appear to be tying up Italy’s attempt to seal the M-346 advanced jet trainer contract with the United Arab Emirates. And there are now indications that one of the losing bidders could actually still be a contender.

 

The selection of the M-346 to meet the UAE air force’s advanced jet trainer requirement was announced in February, knocking out Korea Aerospace Industries’ T-50.

 

However, Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Naser Al Alawi, the air force’s deputy commander, indicated during the recent Dubai Air Chiefs Conference that the KAI T-50 could still be in the mix of advanced jet trainers being considered.

 

The contractual negotiations covering purchase of up to 48 M-346s risks being bogged down due to financial terms being sought by the UAE, and the severity of the penalties Alenia Aermacchi might face should it fail to meet schedules or aircraft specifications.

 

BAE Systems is also assessing developments in the UAE to see if there could yet be an opportunity to reintroduce the Hawk advanced jet trainer. The Hawk was rejected because it did not meet all contract requirements—particularly the light-attack aircraft elements. If there are signs of a shift in emphasis in the program back to the core advanced jet trainer role, as a result of budgetary pressure, BAE could attempt to leverage this.

 

While the Italian company was suggesting earlier this year that a contract could be signed at the Dubai air show last November, several industry sources noted that concluding the deal by the end of 2010 would be achievement enough.

 

“An intensive series of meetings between technical teams from Aermacchi and the UAE air force is progressing through the various aspects of the contract. . . . Aermacchi . . . believes that the contract definition will be achieved within a short time, as foreseen,“ says a company executive.

 

Another potential complication centers on parallel discussions between the UAE and Alenia regarding cooperation on an unmanned aerial vehicle project. These talks are believed to cover such issues as the extent of the joint activities and technology transfer specifications.

 

There are also broader financial concerns in the UAE, particularly about Dubai’s ability to service multibillion-dollar loans.

 

The advanced jet trainer purchase is part of the UAE’s broader modernization of its air training system, aimed at cutting costs by as much as 30%.

 

The M-346 would replace the Hawk Mk102s currently used in the jet trainer role. Given the age of the Mk102, however, it is no longer suited to be a trainer for the air force’s front-line fighter fleet, nor is it capable of fulfilling the lead-in fighter training role.

 

It is the latter capability that promises one of the biggest cost reductions. This would come from cascading to the advanced jet trainer tasks now performed by front-line Lockheed Martin F-16E/F Block 60 and Dassault Mirage 2000-9 aircraft.

 

A senior U.S. industry official with close ties to the UAE air force says the T-50 is drawing renewed interest based on its potential application as a light attack aircraft—the TA-50.

 

Military planners are starting to worry about more than high-end threats from Iran; there is a heightened focus on counter-insurgency operations, and this is where a light fighter may be of value, he notes.

 

KAI has been intensifying its push for the T-50’s light- and heavy-attack configurations.

 

The UAE, as part of its trainer modernization program, is also buying a new basic trainer. Last month, it firmed up a contract with Pilatus for 25 PC-21s over Alenia Aermacchi’s M-311. Both the M-346 and M-311 were first short-listed for the UAE in early 2007.

 

At the time of the PC-21 announcement, Maj. Gen. Faris Al Mazrouei, chief of logistics for the UAE armed forces, said negotiations with Aermacchi had not yet been completed.

 

Some industry sources speculate that the risk and cost of “weaponizing” the M-346 may have had a role in delaying the negotiations. These sources suggest that the UAE is concerned about the risk of being the launch customer for this variant of the M-346, given its experience with the F-16 Block 60 program.

 

  © Bruno Damascelli

 

  © Alenia Aermacchi