Korean Aerospace Industries, the nation's sole aircraft maker, said Wednesday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with US-based defense company Lockheed Martin to expand their strategic partnership.
The signing ceremony was held at the Paris Air Show 2025 in Le Bourget, France, on Tuesday. Both parties emphasized the importance of adapting to shifts in the global defense and aerospace industries and reaffirmed their commitment to sustainable collaboration.
Following the memorandum, KAI intends to intensify joint marketing with Lockheed Martin to enter the US market through the US Navy’s Undergraduate Jet Training System program. It also aims to explore new areas such as rotary-wing aircraft, crewed-uncrewed teaming systems, UAVs, AI-based autonomous technologies, space, training systems, and maintenance, repair, and overhaul.
The two companies have collaborated for more than 30 years, beginning with licensed production of the F-16 in the 1990s. Their partnership led to the co-development of the T-50 supersonic trainer and subsequent upgrades for both the T-50 and FA-50 aircraft to meet evolving global requirements.
“This expanded cooperation with Lockheed Martin will further strengthen our engagement in trainer and fighter markets with the US and allied nations,” said KAI CEO Kang Goo-young. “We expect this partnership to lead to sustainable capabilities in the aerospace industry.”
Lockheed Martin COO Frank A. St. John described the agreement as a reflection of both companies’ commitment to global security and technological collaboration to drive economic growth.
hyelimchung@heraldcorp.com
