South Korean KAI to implement German IRIS-T missiles in FA‑50 and KF‑21 aircrafts
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by a representative of KAI and the German company Diehl Defence on 18th February in Berlin.
This cooperation between the companies would involve the integration of the short-range, German-developed air-to-air IRIS-T missiles with both the currently produced FA-50 aircrafts and KAI's future design currently under development: the KF-21 Boramae aircraft.
New weaponry for FA-50 aircraft
Integrating IRIS-T missiles into the FA-50 aircraft falls within the development timeline for this model. The current version, known as FA-50 Block 10 (operated by Poland under the name FA-50GF), has a limited capacity for utilizing modern weaponry.
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However, this is expected to change with the development of the FA-50 Block 20 variant.
The task of integrating Korean planes with German weaponry is made easier due to the fact that the IRIS-T missile was designed to be deployed from aircraft that can carry American AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.
About the air-to-air missile IRIS-T
The IRIS-T is a short-range air-to-air missile developed in Germany. It is also utilized in land-based anti-aircraft systems (IRIS-T SLM) and has been successfully combat-tested in Ukraine.
Characterized by its high maneuverability, achieved in part due to thrust vectoring and the ability to maneuver with overloads of around 60g. Though it is infrared-guided, it is also capable of targeting items located behind the aircraft from which it was fired.
Despite being designed as an anti-aircraft missile, tests have indicated that after software upgrades, the IRIS-T can also effectively target objects such as boats or vehicles.
