Summary The KAI T-50 Golden Eagle is a supersonic-advanced trainer and light combat aircraft by South Korea. The Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano is a light attack and counter-insurgency aircraft used by 16 air forces globally. The Hongdu JL-8, a joint Sino-Pakistani project, provides cost-effective combat aircraft capabilities to various air forces worldwide.
While most attention goes to the world's top fighter jets like the F-35, F-22, Su-34, Rafale, J-20, etc., this often glosses over the world's fleets of light combat aircraft. Fighter jets are often too expensive and even excessive for the needs of many air forces around the world.
While an F-35 may be needed to attack a peer adversary, it is overkill for many insurgent or armed trafficking groups around the world. Ukraine has even recently found a use for propeller Yk-52 trainers machine-gunning down Russian drones over Ukraine . Here are five notable light combat aircraft.
1 KAI T-50 Golden Eagle The Golden Eagle has been in service since February 2005 Maiden flight: August 2002 Role: advanced trainer, light fighter, light multirole fighter Manufacturer: Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in South Korea South Korea will soon move into the fighter jet market in a serious way with its KF-21 Boramae . But this advanced fighter builds on the KAI T-50 Golden Eagle - a supersonic advanced jet trainer and light combat aircraft. The Golden Eagle is Korea's first indigenous supersonic aircraft and has found a variety of roles.
The Golden Eagle has proved popular on the export market and has been ordered by Indonesia, Iraq, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Poland. Poland has placed the largest order for 12 FA-50 Block 10s and 36 FA-50PL Block 20 aircraft. The Poles selected the Golden Eagle in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine to address their urgent need to receive new fighters quickly and replace their aging MiG-29 and Su-22 Soviet-origin fighters.
The KAI T-50 is a Korean-built jet trainer, modified for combat with the FA-50. 2 Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano The Super Tucano has been in service since 2003 Maiden Flight: June 1999 Role: Light attack and counter-insurgency aircraft Manufacturer: Embraer in Brazil and USA The Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano is one of the few light combat aircraft to have been produced in Latin America. Built by the large Brazilian aviation company Embraer, the A-29 Super Tucano is able to carry a wide variety of weapons and is in use in 16 air forces around the world.
Embraer has a production line in Brazil and another in the United States (in conjunction with Sierra Nevada Co) for export customers. The Super Tucano is intended to be a low-cost platform for low-threat environments. It can operate in extremely rugged conditions with minimal infrastructure and group support.
Over 260 Super Tucanos have been produced so far, with around 30 examples in Brazilian service. It will play a vital role in preserving Paraguayan national interests. 3 Hongdu JL-8 / Karakorum K-8 The Hongdu has been in service since September 1994 Maiden Flight: November 1990 Role: Jet trainer / light attack Manufacturer: Hongdu (China) and PAC (Pakistan) The Hongdu JL-8 is a joint Sino-Pakistani project designed by China Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC).
The Hongdu is called the Karakorum-8 or K-8 by the Pakistanis. Despite being a joint project, it is mostly a Chinese aircraft and has proven to be one of the most popular Chinese military aircraft for export . The Hongdu JL-8 is used by numerous air forces in Africa and cash-strapped air forces in Asia.
It enables air forces to have some level of combat aircraft capabilities cheaply. Over 500 have been built, and they have seen combat in a number of air forces around the world, including the Sudanese and Myanmar civil wars. The type is currently operated by 16 air forces worldwide.
4 Aermacchi M-346 Master The Aermacchi M-346 has been in service since September 2015 Maiden Flight: July 2004 Role: jet trainer / light combat aircraft Manufacturer: Alenia Aermacchi and Leonardo in Italy The Italian Aermacchi M-346 Master is a family of twin-engine advanced jet trainers and light combat aircraft. It was originally jointly developed with Russia's Yakovlev (as the Yak/AEM-130), but Alenia Aermacchi decided to go its own way in 2000. Today, the M-346 variant is optimized for advanced military pilot training and is used in the air forces of Italy, Singapore, Israel, Poland, Qatar, and Greece.
The Aermacchi M-346FA variant is a new version of the aircraft designed and manufactured by Leonardo. It has the dual role of Fight and Trainer. Leonardo claims it is an " extremely effective and low-cost tactical solution for the modern battlefield.
. ." It also claims, " The M-346FA’s cost per flying hour is 80% lower compared to a heavier and more expensive fighter used for close air support missions .
" Many countries with limited military budgets across Asia and Africa purchase Chinese-origin fighter jets. 5 Yakovlev Yak-130 The Yak-130 has been in service since February 2010 Maiden Flight: April 1996 Role: Advanced trainer, light combat aircraft Manufacturer: Yakovlev / Irkut Corporation in Russia Russia's Yakovlev Yak-130 'Mitten' has a similar appearance to the Aermacchi M-346. It is a two-seat advanced jet trainer and light combat aircraft intended to perform light-attack and reconnaissance duties and carry a combat load of 6,600 lbs.
It has nine hardpoints for rocket pods, air-to-surface missiles, machine guns, and guided or unguided bombs. Janes reported that Iran was observed to have received an unknown number of Yak-130s from Russia in 2023. The Yak-130 is also in service in the Russian Air Force and has been exported to a number of other countries, including Algeria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam.
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