Egypt close to acquiring FA-50 light combat aircraft from South Korea

According to a statement from the Egyptian ambassador to South Korea Khaled Abdelrahman, Cairo is on the verge of concluding a deal with Seoul for up to 100 FA-50 light combat aircraft. The agreement should also include technology transfer.

An official from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the jet manufacturer, claimed that this procurement would “advance the Egyptian aviation industry and strengthen strategic partnerships across Africa and the Middle East”.

The fighter, which has 70% commonality with the classic Lockheed Martin F-16, would likely replace ageing Alpha Jets and K-8E trainers. According to industry analysts, Egypt could start by ordering a first batch of 36 aircraft worth around $1 billion, before potentially procuring more. If Cairo finally buys the whole 100, around 70 would be built directly in Helwan, Egypt after KAI signed an agreement in early 2023 with Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI), an Egyptian state-owned company.

Military cooperation between South Korea and Egypt is not limited to this procurement. In 2016, Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and then South-Korean president Moon Jae-in signed a comprehensive agreement aiming to deepen military and trade cooperation. The result was the gift of a second-hand Pohang-class corvette to the Egyptian Navy in 2017, and a $1.66 billion deal in 2023 for the procurement of around 216 Hanwha K9 self-propelled howitzers, an undisclosed number K10 ammunition resupply vehicles, and 51 K11 fire direction control vehicles.

The year 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cairo and Seoul. In recent years, the two countries strengthened a lot their relations. In fact, some Egyptian officials see the South Korean development since the end of the Korean War in 1953 as a path to follow for their nation. On Seoul’s side, Egypt is perceived as an investment opportunity for South Korean companies, as well as an entry point for Middle East and North African markets. For example, in August 2022 Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Company won a $2.25 billion contract alongside a Rosatom subsidiary to build the first Egyptian nuclear power plant in El Dabaa, while Samsung got a “golden licence” in august 2023 to build a factory in Beni Suef.

Written by ADIT – The Bulletin and republished with permission.