IAF Eyes New Training Aircraft

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has requested information Korean and Italian aerospace companies on new training aircraft for use by pilot school cadets before advancing to combat jets training.

The IAF has replaced the ground-attack aircraft Skyhawk with Italy’s Alenia Aermacchi M-346 transonic trainer aircraft and the Korean Aerospace Industries supersonic advanced trainer and multirole fighter T-50 Golden Eagle.

The T-50 is South Korea’s first indigenous supersonic aircraft and one of the world’s few supersonic trainers.

The T-50 programme was intended to develop an indigenous trainer aircraft capable of supersonic flight and to train and prepare pilots for the KF-16 and F-15K, replacing trainers such as T-38 and A-37.

The Israeli Air Force found the T-50 impressive because of its similarity to the F-16 fighter jet, the Jerusalem Post reports quoting an Israeli Air Force officer.