Made in Korea: Counterinsurgency Trainers for Peru

KAI’s KA-1

In November 2012, Peru signed a $200 million contract with South Korea for turboprop trainers and light attack aircraft. The deal involves 10 of its KT-1 trainers, which have also been exported to Turkey and Indonesia, and 10 KA-1 armed counterinsurgency variants. Korea Aerospace Industries will ship 4 of the planes from South Korea, with the rest being assembled from KAI kits in Peru.

The same “value positioning” model that made items like Korea’s Hyundai cars a success is also at work in the global defense sector. It’s time for competitors to take note, because that model is starting to rack up steady wins.

Ukrainian Rebels Receive Russian Reinforcements

• AFP writes that according to NATO Russian columns including tanks, artillery and infantry vehicles have been entering eastern Ukraine, in line with earlier reports from other sources such as Reuters. Artillery strikes have been reported [WSJ video] in Donetsk.

• Popular Mechanics paid a visit to Polish F-16 pilots stationed at Lask AFB. They’re concerned by Russia’s fielding of new aircraft in large quantities.

• Norwegian F-16s recently took a couple nice pictures of recently-inducted Russian SU-34s: VG [in Norwegian] | The Aviationist.

• According to the AP Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that:

“in the current situation we have to maintain military presence in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific, as well as the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.”