FA-50 Fighting Eagle light fighter jet, the design was originally prepared to meet the needs of the South Korean Air Force. Because for the domestic market, the FA-50 was not prepared from the start to have the capability of refueling in the air (air refueling), knowing that South Korea's air space is not wide.
However, at the request of the export market, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has made adaptations to the FA-50. At the request of Malaysia, which ordered 18 units of the latest FA-50 variant worth 1.2 trillion won (US$920 million), KAI is now preparing the FA-50 with water refueling capabilities.
Although there is no official statement yet, posts from the Twitter account @hornetysfs show that a prototype FA-50 with air refueling has been prepared. The air refueling probe is mounted on the right side of the cockpit, while the left side of the cockpit already has a 20 mm caliber Gatling Vulcan M197 gun barrel.
When viewed from the design, the air refueling probe on the FA-50 adheres to the retractable probe model, which means that the fuel receiving probe can be inserted/ pulled into the side of the body. Unlike the Rafale and Hawk 209 fighter jets which adhere to a non-retractable probe.
Even though it appears 'smooth' with a retractable air refueling probe, the type of fighter jet with a retractable probe has consequences for mechanical complexity and maintenance costs. Generally, retractable probes are only applied to fighter jets that carry the hose model in the air refueling scheme.
The FA-50 is powered by a single General Electric F404-GE-102 turbofan engine developing 17,700 pounds of thrust with afterburner. Engine performance is controlled by a dual-channel full authority digital engine control (FADEC) system.
FA-50 fuel is supplied from internal fuel tanks. The aircraft can carry an additional 568 liters of fuel in its external fuel tanks. With this configuration, the FA-50 can fly a distance of 1,851 km. With the ability to refuel water, the combat capability of the FA-50 will be boosted. This fighter jet, which was also purchased by Poland, can reach a maximum speed of Mach 1.5.
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