Industry
Memorandum in Place: Poland Becomes a Gateway for Korean Combat Aircraft?
Photo. Maciej Szopa/Defence24
Poland and the Republic of Korea have signed a memorandum on mutually respecting the flightworthiness certification of military aircraft, the Korean DAPA procurement body reported. This is aimed at simplifying the cooperation and also constitutes a step towards facilitating the process in which the Koreans would establish their footprint in Europe.
The memorandum was signed by and between the Polish Ministry of Defence, and the Korean DAPA (Defense Acquisition Program Administration) body. The memorandum is a bilateral one, meaning the Poles would respect the Korean certifications, and the Koreans would follow the Polish counterparts.
From the Korean point of view, the memorandum is not a novelty, since it is the fifth document of that nature (bilateral memorandum) signed by Seoul. Other documents as such involve the USA, Australia, France, and Spain.
DAPA hopes that the memorandum with Poland will pave the way for FA50 exports on the European market. Poland, following the declarations made last year, would become a Korean partner in the process of penetrating the European market.
Poland alone, so far, procured 12 light FA-50GF and 36 FA-50PL jets, manufactured by Korean Aerospace Industries. It cannot be ruled out that both nations will decide on joint procurement of the heavier KF-21 Boramae MRCA platform in the future.
The Korean combat aircraft may become an interesting offering when a need emerges to expand the MRCA fleet. The FA-50s could be offered to states of limited procurement potential, such as Slovakia, or Bulgaria. Ireland also expressed its interest in the type.