KAI T-50 Golden Eagle

What the KAI T-50 Golden Eagle Is

The KAI T-50 Golden Eagle is a family of supersonic jet trainers and light combat aircraft built by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) with Lockheed Martin. It is South Korea’s first indigenous supersonic aircraft and one of the few supersonic trainers in the world.

The T-50 first flew in August 2002. KAI delivered the first aircraft to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) in December 2005.

The type was built to prepare pilots for the KF-16 and F-15K, and to replace older trainers such as the T-38 and A-37. It looks like a smaller F-16, and that is deliberate: a student steps from the Golden Eagle into a fighter with a familiar cockpit and flight controls.

How the T-50 Was Developed

South Korea wanted a home-grown supersonic trainer to end its reliance on imported types. KAI led the program and Lockheed Martin supplied design help and a joint marketing deal for export sales.

The aircraft was formally named the Golden Eagle in February 2000. The ROKAF placed its first production contract for 25 aircraft in December 2003.

The T-50 was the first trainer fitted with triple-redundant digital fly-by-wire controls. Its single General Electric F404-102 engine is built under license by Samsung Techwin and uses a FADEC control system developed jointly by GE and KAI.

T-50, TA-50 and FA-50: The Variants

The Golden Eagle name covers several aircraft, and the differences matter. Each step up adds radar, weapons and fuel.

• T-50: the basic supersonic trainer, without the gun and pylons of the TA-50 and FA-50.
• T-50B: the aerobatic version flown by the ROKAF’s Black Eagles display team.
• TA-50: a lead-in fighter trainer and light attack aircraft with a gun and weapon pylons, in ROKAF service since 2011.
• FA-50: the light fighter, with an Israeli-derived EL/M-2032 radar, a longer radome, a datalink and more internal fuel.
• FA-50 Block 20 and later: a refuelling probe, conformal fuel tanks and an AESA radar for beyond-visual-range missiles.

KAI offered a T-50A, based on the FA-50, for the US Air Force T-X trainer competition. It was not selected.

Explaining the Numbers

The full specification table for the aircraft is on this page. A few figures need context.

The top speed is quoted as Mach 1.5. That is a clean-airframe speed at altitude, and an FA-50 carrying weapons and tanks is slower.

The thrust figure is the engine’s rating with the afterburner lit. Without it, the F404-102 produces about 11,930 lbf (53.07 kN).

The listed range assumes internal and external fuel with no combat load. Combat radius is far shorter. Wikipedia quotes 239 nmi (443 km) for the FA-50, and the proposed single-seat F-50 is meant to extend that by 20% to 30%.

Weights differ by source because the T-50, TA-50 and FA-50 are different aircraft. When you compare numbers across websites, check which variant each one describes.

Who Flies the Golden Eagle

The Golden Eagle has become one of Asia’s best-selling light combat jets.

• South Korea: the launch customer, with a fleet of T-50 trainers, TA-50s and 60 FA-50s ordered.
• Indonesia: 16 T-50i aircraft ordered in 2011 for about $400 million and delivered by January 2014, plus six more ordered in 2021.
• Iraq: 24 T-50IQ aircraft ordered in 2013. Delivered in 2017 and 2018, they did not fly until June 2022 because a support contract was not in place.
• Philippines: 12 FA-50PH light fighters, delivered by May 2017, with 12 more on order.
• Thailand: T-50TH trainers, with the first four delivered in April 2018.
• Poland: 48 FA-50s ordered in July 2022, a mix of 12 FA-50GF and 36 FA-50PL.
• Malaysia: 18 FA-50 Block 20 aircraft ordered in 2023 for $920 million.

Combat Use

The Philippines used its FA-50s in the Marawi campaign in 2017. On 12 July 2017 one dropped a bomb about 250 meters off target, killing two Philippine soldiers. An investigation cleared the aircrew and the aircraft, and the type returned to service in August.

In December 2025 Thailand used its T-50TH in combat for the first time. It flew a strike mission alongside F-16s and Gripens during the Cambodia-Thailand border conflict.

Accidents

The Golden Eagle has lost aircraft in training and display flying. A Black Eagles T-50B crashed in November 2012, killing its pilot. An Indonesian T-50i crashed during an airshow at Yogyakarta in December 2015, killing both pilots.

Indonesia has had two more fatal T-50i accidents since then: a training accident in August 2020 and a night training crash in July 2022.

How the T-50 Compares

The closest rival in role is the Italian M-346. It simulates a wider range of virtual weapons, but the FA-50 is cheaper to operate and can carry real weapons for live training and combat. Against the FA-50’s light-fighter role, see our KAI FA-50 Fighting Eagle page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the KAI T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic?

Yes. Its top speed is Mach 1.5, which makes it one of the few supersonic trainers in service.

What is the difference between the T-50 and the FA-50?

The T-50 is an unarmed trainer. The FA-50 is a light fighter with a radar, a datalink, a 20 mm gun and more internal fuel, and it can carry air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons.

Who operates the T-50 Golden Eagle?

South Korea, Indonesia, Iraq, the Philippines and Thailand fly it today. Poland and Malaysia have ordered the FA-50.

What engine does the T-50 use?

A single General Electric F404-102 afterburning turbofan, built under license in South Korea by Samsung Techwin. KAI has studied the more powerful F414 and Eurojet EJ200 for later versions.

Who builds the T-50?

Korea Aerospace Industries builds it in South Korea, with design and marketing support from Lockheed Martin.