T-50 Golden Eagle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Soviet light tank of WWII, see T-50 tank
| T-50 Golden Eagle | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type | Advanced trainer Light attack |
| Manufacturer | Korean Aerospace Industries Lockheed Martin |
| Maiden flight | 20 August 2002[1] |
| Status | Operational |
| Primary user | Republic of Korea Air Force |
| Number built | 100+[1][3] |
| Unit cost | US$22 million[4] |
The T-50 Golden Eagle is an early 21st century Korean-American supersonic trainer. It is developed by Korean Aerospace Industries in conjunction with Lockheed Martin. [5] The program includes the A-50, or T-50 LIFT, as a light attack aircraft variant[1].
Although the U.S. military currently has no plans to procure this aircraft, the official T-50A MDS designator was reserved for the Golden Eagle so that it wouldn't be inadvertently assigned to another aircraft model.[6]
Contents |
[edit] Development
The T/A-50 program is the replacement for a variety of trainer and light attack aircraft. This includes the T-38 and F-5B in training and the CAS Cessna A-37B; in service with the South Korean Air Force.[citation needed] The program was origially intended to develop an indigenous trainer aircraft capable of supersonic flight in order to train and prepare pilots for the KF-16s.[7] The T-50 makes South Korea 12th nation to produce a complete jet fighter aircraft.[8] Some of the South-Korean aircrafts include the propeller-driven KT-1 basic trainer produced by Samsung Aerospace (now part of KAI), and license-manufactured KF-16s. Most of the core systems and technology were provided by Lockheed Martin, however, and in general the T/A-50 is said to closely resemble the KF-16 configuration.[7]
The development of the aircraft was funded 13% by Lockheed Martin, 17% by Korea Aerospace Industries, and 70% by the government of South Korea.[9] KAI and Lockheed Martin are currently pursuing a joint marketing program for the T-50 variant internationally.
The mother program, code-named KTX-2, began in 1992,[3] but the Ministry of Finance and Economy suspended KTX-2 in 1995 due to financial matters.[10] with the initial design of the aircraft, in 1999. It was renamed T-50 Golden Eagle in February 2000, with the final assembly of the first T-50 taking place between 15 January 2001.[citation needed] The first flight of the T-50 took place in August 2002, and initial operational assessment from July 28 to August 14, 2003.[1]
[edit] Design
The T-50 Golden Eagle design is mainly derived from the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon,[11] and they are similar in their economic use of a single engine, speed, size, cost, and the range of weapons. The program initially focused on developing trainer jets for the F-16 pilots,[3] since many air forces around the world, including the Republic of Korea Air Force, use the F-16 as main constituents of their fighter population.
The T-50 is equipped with a Honeywell H-764G embedded global positioning/inertial navigation system and HG9550 radar altimeter.[9] The A-50 variant uses APG-67 radar from Lockheed Martin. The aircraft is the first trainer to feature the digital fly-by-wire control interface (triple redundant).[12] The aircraft can carry up to two pilots, and the high-mounted canopy and the tandem seating allow the pilots superior visibility, vital to successful lock-on of enemy targets. The cockpit holds the On Board Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS).[12]
The altitude limit is 48,000 ft, and the airframe is designed to last 8,000 hours of service.[12] There are seven internal fuel tanks with capacity of 2,655 litres, five in the fuselage and two in the wings.[9] An additional 1,710 litres of fuel can be carried in the three external fuel tanks.[9]
T-50 Golden Eagle runs a single General Electric F404 turbofan engine with Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC). The engine consists of three-staged fans, seven axial stage arrangement, and an afterburner.[9] The aircraft can supercruise at the speed of Mach 1.05, and with maximum 78.7 kN (17,700 lbs) of thrust with the afterburner,[9] and has a maximum speed of Mach 1.4.[12][4]
[edit] Weapons
A 20 mm General Electric M61 Vulcan cannon[11] with 205 rounds of linkless linear feed can be mounted internally behind the cockpit.[9] Two AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking air-to-air missiles can be attached at each of the wingtip rails, and more missiles can be equipped externally to the rocket pods under the wings and the centreline hardpoints.[9] Compatible air-to-surface weapons include AGM-65 Maverick missile, LAU-3 and LAU-68 rocket launchers, and CBU-58, MK-20, MK-82, MK-83, and MK-84 cluster bombs.[1] Up to three external fuel tanks can be added to the bottom of the aircraft.[1]
[edit] Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 42 ft 7 in (12.98 m)
- Wingspan: 30 ft 1 in (9.17 m)
- Height: 15 ft 8.25 in (4.78 m)
- Empty weight: 14,200 lb (6,441 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 26,400 lb (11,985 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× General Electric F404 afterburning turbofan
- Dry thrust: 11,925 lbf (53.07 kN)
- Thrust with afterburner: 17,775 lbf (79.1 kN)
Performance
- Maximum speed: Mach 1.4
- Range: 1,150 mi ()
- Service ceiling: 48,000 ft (14,630 m)
Armament
- Guns: 1× M61A1 Vulcan 20 mm Gatling gun
- Rockets: LAU-3/68
- Missiles:
- Air-to-air: 2× AIM-9 Sidewinder
- Air-to-ground: 6× AGM-65 Maverick
- Bombs: 5× CBU-58 cluster, 9× Mk 82, 3× Mk 83/MK 84, and 9× Mk 20.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f Flug Revue
- ^ ThomasNet news on T-50
- ^ a b c Aeroflight article on T-50
- ^ a b AIN Online article on T-50
- ^ Korea, US to confer on surveillance plan sales
- ^ Designation-Systems.Net MDS Designators
- ^ a b Defense Industry Daily 04/05 article on T-50
- ^ Empas News article
- ^ a b c d e f g h Airforce Technology article
- ^ Global Security article on KTX-2 program
- ^ a b VectorSite: F-16 Derivatives: Ching Kuo / F-2 / Golden Eagle
- ^ a b c d Global Security review
[edit] External links
[edit] Related content
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Designation sequence
Related lists
See also
Timeline of aviation
Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines
Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
Notable military accidents and incidents · Notable airline accidents and incidents · Famous aviation-related deaths
Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft
