KAI Teams Up with Moroccan Companies to Promote FA-50 Fighter Jet

 

South Korea’s Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is strengthening its bid to supply the T-50 advanced trainer and FA-50 light combat aircraft to the Royal Moroccan Air Force, building industrial partnerships with two Moroccan companies as it seeks to enter the North African defence market.

On 8 October 2026, during the Marrakech Air Show, KAI signed a memorandum of understanding with Maintenance Aero Maroc (MAM) and Sabca Maroc. The agreement establishes a framework for exploring commercial and industrial cooperation in Morocco, including potential support for a future T-50 family aircraft programme.

The initiative is linked to Morocco’s requirement to replace its ageing Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet trainers and Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II light fighters. Both aircraft types have been in service for decades, and their replacement would allow the Royal Moroccan Air Force to modernise its pilot training system while renewing part of its combat fleet.

KAI is proposing the T-50 family as a possible solution, potentially combining the T-50 advanced trainer with the combat-capable FA-50. The latter is a supersonic, two-seat light fighter developed from the T-50 in cooperation with Lockheed Martin. Powered by a General Electric F404 engine, it can reach speeds of approximately Mach 1.5 and carry a range of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, including a 20mm internal cannon.

The FA-50 could offer Morocco an additional advantage through its technological relationship with the F-16, which forms the backbone of the country's fighter fleet. Morocco currently operates F-16C/D Block 52 aircraft and is acquiring 25 new F-16 Block 72 fighters. A common technological background could help simplify aspects of pilot transition, training and maintenance, although the two aircraft are not interchangeable.

KAI is also seeking to strengthen the industrial dimension of its proposal. Maintenance Aero Maroc already works on the support and maintenance of Moroccan F-16 and C-130 Hercules aircraft, while Sabca Maroc has experience in aerostructure manufacturing and the modernisation of the Alpha Jet fleet. Their involvement could provide a local industrial and maintenance network for any future aircraft acquisition.

The South Korean manufacturer, however, faces competition. Italy’s Leonardo is promoting its M-346 Master advanced trainer, another candidate for Morocco's training requirements. The choice will depend not only on aircraft performance but also on acquisition costs, operational requirements, industrial participation and long-term support arrangements.

KAI has also used its contacts with Moroccan officials to promote the FA-50 beyond the Marrakech exhibition. On 23 October, a Moroccan delegation visited the company's assembly facilities in Sacheon, South Korea, as part of its international KAI Day event.

No acquisition contract has been announced, and Morocco has yet to disclose the number of aircraft it intends to procure or a timetable for the programme. Nevertheless, KAI's agreement with MAM and Sabca Maroc gives its proposal a stronger local industrial foundation.

If successful, the deal would make Morocco the first African operator of the T-50/FA-50 family, providing KAI with an important entry point into a market where demand for advanced trainers and light combat aircraft is attracting growing international competition.

Nigerian Air Force receiving additional Alpha Jets

The Nigerian Air Force has acquired at least two second hand Alpha Jet aircraft as it continues to expand its aerial fleet.
One of the jets was seen passing through the United Kingdom on 25 March, having travelled from the United States via Iceland. It then continued to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, on its way to Nigeria.
It was flown by Air USA Inc, which specialises in military air combat readiness training and flies Hawks, Alpha Jets, MiG-29s and L-59 Super Albatroses. The Alpha Jet seen transiting the UK was cancelled from the United States register on 19 March together with a second Alpha Jet, both originally flown by the Luftwaffe before operating in the States.
The delivery status of the second aircraft is unclear. It is also not clear if the two Alpha Jets are attrition replacements or part of a larger batch being acquired by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
Air USA Alpha Jets were converted for night vision goggle (NVG) operations, according to the company, and flight certified for operational use of TER, IMER and SUU-20 bomb racks.
Nigerian Alpha Jets have been used in the ground attack role to strike Boko Haram targets and a couple have been lost on operations.
The NAF has recently reactivated a number of its Alpha Jets. A total of 24 were acquired in the 1980s but several have been lost in crashes. Apparently 11 have been made flyable again.
In addition to refurbishing some of its existing aircraft such as the Alpha Jets, L-39s, Super Pumas and C-130s, the NAF is also acquiring additional platforms. For instance, it recently inducted Gazelle helicopters, which are believed to have entered service in February this year.
Three Beechcraft King Air 350i light transport aircraft were delivered in August last year, together with two AgustaWestland AW101 VIP transport helicopters. The NAF is also acquiring six Mi-35M attack helicopters and 12 armed Mi-171Sh helicopters, which were ordered in August 2014.
defenceweb

France reveals that lost 2 Mirage 2000 and 2 Alpha Jet in January Albacete disaster. 2 Rafale severely damaged as well

The French Air Force lost four combat aircraft as write-offs and a further two as severely damaged as a result of the disaster at Los Llanos/Albacete Air Base in Spain.
The accident, which saw a Hellenic Air Force F-16D Block 50 crash while attempting to take off on 26 January, resulted in the total loss of two Dassault Mirage 2000D fighters and two Alpha Jet trainers. As well, a pair of Dassault Rafale fighters suffered extensive damage.
As well as losing its aircraft, the French Air Force also suffered the loss of nine of its personnel in the accident, which is still being investigated.
janes

Egypt opts for the Rafale

Dassault annonuces the Arab Republic of Egypt’s decision to equip its air force with the Rafale, continuing cooperation that dates back to the 1970s, and has seen the Mirage 5, the Alpha Jet and the Mirage 2000 fly in the colors of Egypt. .
Sources says the deal is for 24 Rafale fighters.
dassault-aviation

Nigerian Air Force Interested in Textron’s Scorpion Combat Jets

The Nigerian air force is concerned that efforts to acquire new combat aircraft from Textron to battle Boko Haram militants will be blocked over concerns about the country’s human rights record.
The air force currently relies on a fleet of older jets, including Chinese-made F-7 planes and European Alpha Jets.
Textron has been marketing the Scorpion military jet as a low-cost option for many nations that can’t afford more traditional and expensive designs.
The country would initially look to acquire 12 jets to form one squadron. A formal request to buy the plane has not been made, though that could happen soon. The company have said first deliveries could occur 18 months after they receive an order.
blogs.wsj.com

France to evaluate M-345 as possible Alpha Jet replacement

France appears to have begun the process of seeking a replacement for its air force’s fleet of aged Alpha Jet trainers – and Alenia Aermacchi's M-345 is in the frame.
Officials from nation’s DGA defence procurement agency and the air force will later this month travel to Alenia Aermacchi’s plant in Venegono, Italy, to evaluate the M-345.
flightglobal