By Ryu Jin Staff Reporter
South Korea is to sell supersonic fighters at $100 (101,000 won) per jet. It may be hard to believe, but it's no lie.
The fighter jets to be sold at such a giveaway price are F-5A/Bs, which are being retired from their 40-year-long service this month.
The Ministry of National Defense and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) said Sunday they considered selling the retired aircraft, which opened the era of supersonic fighters for the Korean Air Force in 1965, to foreign nations including Mexico and Poland.
"We have about 50 F-5A/B fighter jets at the moment, half of which are used for educational and demonstrational purposes. The ministry will consider selling the remaining half to foreign nations at $100 per unit," a KAI official said. "It's a nominal price."
He hinted that the virtual donation is part of a sales strategy to export KT-1 and T-50 supersonic trainers developed and produced by KAI to the foreign nations. "We have also sold F-5A/B fighters to the Philippines at $100 each in the past."
It is customary for a country to sell outdated military arms at a token cost, a ministry official said. But the source added that the export requires prior consent from the nation that manufactured the weapons. The F-5A/B jets were made in the United States.
South Korea purchased about 120 F-5A/B fighter jets in the late 1960s. They became the mainstay of the Air Force and played a leading role in thwarting espionage agents from North Korea until the 1970s.
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