Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) are stepping up cooperative ties by forming a "One Team" with nations operating domestically produced aircraft.

KAI hosted the 15th K-TCG (Korea-Technical Coordination Group) and 9th SMG (Safety Management Group) international conferences in Sacheon, which ran from October 21 to 23.

The international events brought together approximately 140 domestic representatives—including officials from the ROKAF, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), KAI, Hanwha Aerospace, and LIG Nex1 (noted as LIG D&A in the original text)—along with around 24 overseas delegates from six countries operating Korean-made aircraft: Indonesia, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Thailand, and Turkey.

Co-hosted by the ROKAF and supported by KAI, the K-TCG and SMG conferences have been praised for fostering a collaborative One Team relationship between the Air Force and international operators, thereby contributing to the expansion of exports for South Korean aircraft.

Since launching the inaugural K-TCG event in 2009, KAI and the ROKAF have leveraged accumulated operational data—such as improved aircraft availability rates and the establishment of stable follow-on logistics support systems—to showcase the technical support and excellence of domestic aircraft to current and prospective export nations. Since 2016, the SMG meetings have also been held concurrently to reinforce flight safety management for domestic aircraft.

"This conference served as an opportunity to share operational performance, improvement cases, and operational challenges with domestic aircraft operator nations, while presenting performance upgrade cases and strengthening mutual cooperation to further expand future export markets," said Song Ho-chul, Executive Vice President and Head of KAI’s Production and Operation Division.

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]