The Polish Air Force commander visited Korea and boarded the Korean-made supersonic fighter KF-21 prototype to examine its performance and discuss defense industry cooperation.
According to the Air Force on the 24th, General Lee Young-soo, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, met with Air Force Commander Irenausz Nowak at the Gyeryongdae Air Force Headquarters for a bilateral discussion. General Lee promised to strengthen cooperation in defense and defense industry sectors between the air forces of the two countries.
General Lee said, "Through this discussion, we were able to further enhance defense cooperation between the two air forces by discussing ways to share operational know-how of the FA-50 fighter and promote personnel exchanges."
The Polish Air Force signed a contract to acquire 48 FA-50 fighter jets from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in 2022 and is operating 12 FA-50GF jets, which are set to be introduced by 2024. An additional 36 FA-50PL jets are also planned to be introduced sequentially.
In particular, Commander Nowak plans to visit KAI during his visit to Korea, where he will board the KF-21 prototype with KAI test pilots to experience its performance. He will also meet with Seok Jong-geun, the Director of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and Kang Koo-young, the President of KAI, to discuss follow-up measures for the FA-50 introduction and enhancement of additional defense cooperation.
Commander Nowak plans to visit the 1st Fighter Wing of the Air Force in Gwangju on the 25th to encourage Polish Air Force pilots undergoing T-50 flight training. On the 26th, he will visit the Air Force Education Headquarters in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, to meet with Education Commander Son Seok-rak (Lieutenant General). During this meeting, he will be introduced to the training system of the Korean Air Force and discuss ways for exchanges and cooperation at the air force level between the two countries.