Like following in the footsteps of Indonesia, the Colombian government has recently decided to become a user of the Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle production fighter jet, as well as making Colombia the first user of the Golden Eagle in South America.
Quoted from defensenews.com (30/4/2022), it is stated that the Colombian Air Force has chosen a mixed variant of the TA-50 and FA-50 Golden Eagle. The Colombian Air Force plans to procure at least 20 Golden Eagle fighter jets with air-to-air and air-to-surface capabilities under a $600 million project.
Uniquely, despite having chosen the TA/FA Golden Eagle, the Colombian government still insists that negotiations with KAI also involve Leonardo, a manufacturer from Italy. Previously, Leonardo had been selected during the competition process and had offered the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 fighter jet trainer. The inclusion of a competitor is meant to help Colombia negotiate the best possible deal.
Colombia purchased the Golden Eagle to replace the twin-engine Cessna A-37B Dragonfly light attack jet, which was retired in June 2021. Later, the TA/FA-50 Golden Eagle will be used in counter insurgency missions and as a tactical trainer.
Apart from that, the Golden Eagle is also expected to temporarily fill the capability gap left by Israel's aging fleet of Kfir fighter jets. The Colombian Air Force is supposed to start retiring the Kfir in 2023, and when the Kfir is retired, it is likely that a replacement will not be accepted by the Colombian Air Force.
The Colombian Kfir is equipped with Israel's Elta Systems ELM-052 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and is armed with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems' Derby medium-range air-to-air missile. With typical Israeli specifications, the Colombian Kfir is currently recognized as one of the best (operational) fighter jets in South America.
But Kfor's maintenance and operating costs have now become too expensive, leading to restrictions on flying hours and forcing the Air Force to decline invitations to attend a series of international exercises, such as Red Flag in the US.
With regards to being selected for the TA/FA-50 Golden Eagle, this is not the first time Colombia and South Korea have worked together. From its history, Colombia is one of the countries that sent troops on UN missions during the Korean War in the decade of the 50s.
In 2012, the Colombian Navy acquired a number of South Korean SSM-700K anti-ship missiles for deployment on four German-made Padilla Class frigates. And in 2020, the South Korean Navy donated a used corvette, the Pohang Class, to the Colombian Navy.
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For the Colombian Navy, this is not the first time that it has received a warship grant from South Korea, previously Colombia had received a Donghae Class corvette in 2011.
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