South Korea's FA-50 light attack aircraft have flown a combined total of 100,000 hours without an accident, the Air Force said Friday, marking a key milestone for the domestically built jet.
The landmark figure came as an FA-50 operated by the 8th Fighter Wing in Wonju, 87 kilometers southeast of Seoul, successfully completed a flight Thursday after the aircraft model first took off from an airbase in September 2013.
The total distance covered by some 60 FA-50s under the Air Force reached 55 million kilometers over the past decade, about 140 times the distance between Earth and the Moon.
The FA-50 is based on the design of the T-50 trainer jet built by Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd., with technical assistance provided by U.S. aerospace firm Lockheed Martin.
The fighter is currently operated by the 8th Fighter Wing and the 16th Fighter Wing in Yecheon County, 161 kilometers southeast of the capital.
South Korea has also exported the aircraft, with 12 FA-50s being used by the Philippines since 2015.
Poland signed contracts last year to receive a total of 48 FA-50s through 2028, while Malaysia signed a contract in May to purchase 18 FA-50s.
Source: Yonhap News Agency