Two more S. Korean FA-50 warplanes arrive in Poland

A cargo plane carrying two South Korean FA-50 fighter aircraft for the Polish Air Force arrived in Warsaw on Tuesday morning, the defence minister announced.

Mariusz Blaszczak wrote on X: "Further FA/50s have arrived in Poland. A transport landed at the airport in Warsaw this morning with two planes for the Air Force. By the end of the year we will have finalised delivery of the first twelve units."

Poland's Ministry of National Defence (MoD) ordered 12 FA-50s from Seoul, the first of which arrived in July. Further orders foresee the delivery of another 36 aircraft of the FA-50PL version customised to Polish requirements. The MoD said the planes will be used to patrol Polish airspace and fly Nato missions. Delivery of the 36 FA-50PLs is scheduled to commence in 2025 and to take two to three years to complete.

The FA-50 is a South Korean two-person light fighter aircraft. Its basic armament is a 20-mmm cannon and a wide range of under-wing aviation weaponry including AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles and various types of aerial bombs.

Last year, Poland purchased K2 main battle tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers, Chunmoo rocket launchers and FA-50 light combat jets from South Korea in reaction to increased threats from Moscow after Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the biggest military conflict in Europe since World War Two.