TA-50 Series: South Korea’s Golden Eagle Jets Soar at Mach 1.5 with Night Attack Capability – Part 3

The TA-50 tactical introductory trainer is used for prospective pilots who have completed the advanced training course using the T-50 to undergo armed training before being deployed in actual combat. It is a derivative used for tactical education necessary for combat, such as air-to-air and air-to-ground shooting training.

The TA-50 is an aircraft that added radar and air-to-air and air-to-ground armament systems based on the T-50. The armament includes a 20mm machine gun, AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile, AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missile, MK-82 500-pound bomb, SUU-20 training bomb unit, etc. Currently, the TA-50 is used in the Lead In Fighter Training (LIFT), where Air Force 16th Combat Flight Group pilots hone their air-to-air and air-to-ground combat skills.

Air Force pilots start their flight training with the domestic KT-100 aircraft in the introductory course. They then go through the intermediate course with the domestic KT-1 aircraft and finish the advanced course with the T-50 advanced trainer. The final step to becoming a fighter pilot is to master tactical training with the TA-50 in the tactical introduction course.

The T-50B aerial acrobatic aircraft is famous for being operated by the Air Force’s special flight team, the Black Eagles. It is a top-quality aircraft of K defense that contributes to raising the status of the Republic of Korea Air Force by demonstrating high flight performance to our people and the world, promoting the excellence of the T-50 series aircraft.

Around 2006, when the T-50 was being deployed, the A-37 aerial acrobatic aircraft was nearing its end due to aging, so it was decided to modify the T-50 advanced trainer and use it as the Air Force’s next aerial acrobatic aircraft. Development started in 2008, and delivery was completed in 2010.

The T-50B was beautifully painted in a combination of black, white, and yellow to match the name Black Eagles. While there isn’t much difference from the original T-50, several modifications have been made for special flights. Notably, a camera that records aerial acrobatic flights in real-time, external lighting that can be seen from a distance, and a smoke generator that fills the sky with trails.

The modification process was not easy. In the early stages of T-50B development, the Air Force requested that lights be installed on the aircraft’s nose cone to maximize the visual effects of the air show. However, modifying the nose cone had too much impact on the aircraft, causing difficulties in development.

A researcher in charge of aviation safety suggested a light that could be mounted on the wingtip, similar to an air-to-air missile, and designed and installed lights in the shape of an AIM-9 Sidewinder after consulting with the Air Force. Thanks to this, the air-to-air missile-shaped lights significantly increase spectators’ satisfaction at various air shows.

Although smoke generators are often mounted on the wingtips, the T-50B was modified to carry an internal device. At the time of T-50B development, there was a demand for a spray that could spray various color smokes for tens of minutes, which was impossible with the existing smoke generator mounted on the wingtip, so it was changed through a turn of events.

Thanks to these efforts, the T-50B aerial acrobatic aircraft has become a major contributor to joining the ranks of the few military powers operating an acrobatic flight team with a domestic supersonic aircraft.

Part. 1
Part. 2