South Korean T-50 jet fighters (File photo)
2018-06-13
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SULAIMANI — A new batch of the T-50 jet fighters arrived in Iraq on Wednesday (June 13) from South Korea to help in the fight against Islamic State (ISIS).
In a brief statement, the Iraqi Air Force said, “a new batch of six T-50 jets has arrived in Iraq.”
Last year, Iraq said it would receive 24 T-50 Golden Eagle fighter jets from South Korea as part of an agreement signed in 2013.
The order, including training, was valued at $1.1 billion, but the manufacturer, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), said supporting the aircraft over 20 years will cost more than $2 billion.
The T-50 Golden Eagle is part of a family of South Korean supersonic advanced trainers and light combat aircraft, developed by KAI, in cooperation with Lockheed Martin. The T-50 is South Korea’s first indigenous supersonic aircraft and one of the world’s few supersonic trainers.
The Iraqi Air Force, supported by the US-led international coalition, has been actively attacking ISIS militants as part of a major operation that seeks to completely eliminate the group from Iraqi soil.