A Supersonic Fighter for Just $100?
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It is customary for a country to sell outdated military arms at a token cost, a ministry official said.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.

is the PAF still interested?

weird...F-5Bs can still be modified into LIFTs (I think), wouldn't $100 airframes dent the market for Golden Eagles? or does KAI's confidence speak for itself with regard to the possible state of those 40-year old F-5s?

so much for getting second-hand missile boats with missiles... :armyskeptic:

With FVR going around again, at that token price, those 50 units might end up in our inventory. With all the available parts, at least 10 can be made flyable, enough for continuous training of our pilots while waiting for more modern MRFs.

$100 per plane? Germans could do better. They gave 23 Mig-29 some upgraded, to Poland for free, Poland passed on the offer. The Germans sweetened the deal and added 128 Leopard2 MBTs, along with the 23 Mig-29, but this time asking for a higher price...all told the deal was for 23 Mig-29 and 128 Leopard2 MBT for the cost of E1euro...Poles agreed. :specool:

Doubt the PAF will get any of these fighters, just expecting next year will be another year with an Independence Day without fighter flybys? :armycry:

The only defense articles any nation will send to us as aid will most likely be small arms which include assault rifles, machine guns (SAWs and GPMGs) , submachineguns, sniper rifles, grenade launchers, mortars and ammo as well as trucks and helicopters.

Since we have a festering insurgency problem that is what they'll end up sending us to to take care of our problems in our backyard before it spreads to theirs.

I doubt the AFP would find time to give some resources to external defense since it may still be used in political warfare by our administration against sectors fighting for the deposition of the current administration

whats FVR got to do with this?

He got a lot of respect from the Koreans. If our gov't is willing, he could work for it. With such token cost, 50 units at USD5,000 for the whole lot, I believe will make a difference for our PAF.

I doubt if the PAF can afford to maintain even at least 1 squadron of 100$ F5A/B jets, we can't even afford to maintain our existing fleet of 15 F5A fighters.
Even if South Korea donates all the spare parts the rising cost of fuel will definitely reduce the flight traning of our pilots

well its better to have something for our pilots to fly and revived the 5th Fighter Wing than just Watching those MiGs fly over our airspace......I believe with those numbers, we can activate at least 12-15 jets with lots of spares.

amen to that

I think for USD5,000 we did save a lot for the time being. As for the (non-)existing 15 F5s we have, problems on spares and major structural defects are already in it. As for the technology it's been with us and let our maintenance personnel show their skills. Knowing the Koreans and their preparedness for imminent threat, I believe some of these birds are well-maintained.

This has been discussed before as to cost with these old planes in the long run. But this opportunity seldom comes our way. With such small cost, we could see flying PAF fighter jets that could be deployed when needed. Any savings can then be used for navigational upgrades and misslles.

For USD5,000, mas malaki pa nga kini-kick back ng ibang opisyales natin na napunpunta lang sa sariling bulsa.

Just a thought :dunno:

Those $100 F5 seem like a good deal. We can finally equip at least the 6th TFS with airworthy fighters. However, I have my reservations about getting them at those very low prices. They may be well maintained with a potentially bellingerent North Korea worry about. However, how many hours do the airframes have left on them? Can they still dogfight effectively with the restrictions on their airframes?

I think 2nd-hand A4 Skyhawks seem to be a better idea even if no one has yet to offer them at 100 bucks a piece. They're still fairly cheap as interrim fighters and they're more politically acceptable. They're built mainly as bomb trucks and they can operate with minimal avionics upgrades. It would be easy for the Generals and the DND to ask money from Congress for an aircraft that can be very useful against MILF, Abu Sayyaf and the NPA.

:agree: as well!

its only 100 dollars anyway. :wow:

Get at least 15.

The 12 most airworthy of these should be given to the 5FW. The rest shall be our reserve or shall serve as items that the PAF can cannivalize later on.

ehh why not, its only for a hundred bucks a piece.. nothing wrong with that :armyskeptic:

Yeah, but where is the money?

We've been doing that for a long, long, long, looongg.......ZZZZZZZZZZ. time already.

Who says it's for dogfighting? That would be the role of the new MRFs if "ever" we could buy them. These old planes can be our eyes and ears on areas not reached by our existing patrol boats and boost the firepower of our naval assets. They'll be used as trainer planes for the continuous training for our pilots. Old, but still can be very useful against MILF, Abu Sayyaf and the NPA.

it would have been much better if the South Koreans will sell us some of their hundred or so F-5E/Fs. :armyroleyes:

the F-5A/Bs might be "well-maintained" but i would rather have them as lead-in fighter trainers than as frontline combat aircraft. :armyskeptic:

Hmmm... their F5-E/Fs? With the way our leaders think about our defense needs, that would be the time when our neighbors are already buying second hand stealth planes. :drunk:
When would this bickerings stop and let's move on! :headbang:

saver111: comrade, sadly, the Philippines will just be the same Philippines that it is right now- a country enjoying PBA (Pulitika, Basketbol, Artista) so much. we'll have to wait maybe in the 22nd century before things change in this country. :demon:

hmmmmm... i'm wondering if the Philippines is really interested in the $100 per plane South Korean F-5A/Bs. :drunk:

It seems they are more interested in the latest bizarre turn in the Garcigate scandal. They may even be dragging the AFP along for a ride. :snipemo: :asniper: :pistols: :crawling:

:agree: We should watch PBA this time. :drunk:

Buy 20-50 air frames any way its only for $100.We know how the koreans maintain those planes. Ramos has also a good relation with the south korean government. If he is serious in this matter and he also knows how important the role of the F-5 in our national security.Its a nice start for a small force to be revive.later on, we can assign them as a trainer jet if we have a new MRF's.

Does anybody knows here about the latest news of two south koreans jets lost month? is it the F-5 ?

I think they lost an F4-E and an F5-F.

I second that but for now, I guess anything would do just to keep our pilots happy and flying. :tomcat:

$100 each?! Then cannibilize them for spare parts. Or the scrap metal from those units, or alternativley the older ones in storage and keep newly-acquired ones in storage, maybe the PAF could turn up a small profit from that $100 a pop and use the proceeds for rotary wing units actually being used.

Why not cannibalize some of them along with our grounded ones in storage? We can use the parts to keep the remaining airframes airworthy and servivcable. They can equip 2 squadrons- 6th TFS and 7th TFS with a handful to spare.

BTW, can those airframes be upgraded?

tora^2: sadly, all frontline combat F-5 upgrades that are available in the market today are slated for the F-5E/F. the F-5A/B are just being upgraded as lead-in fighter trainers and not as frontline combat planes.

the PAF will be better off having F-5E/Fs than F-5A/Bs. if it cannot have those F-5E/Fs, then the PAF should consider "alternatives" like Kfirs and Mirage F1s.

In that case, I`d rather go for A4s or Kfirs.

If we need an "interrim" fighter with a few more bells and whistles, why not go for Viggens? They can be operated out of highways (like the NLEX).

What we need for now for interrim fighters are those with rough field capabilities, minimal maintenance requirements, excellent attack capability and minimal fuel consumption.

An upgraded former Israeli Air Force F4E would be nice if it weren't for the fact it's expensive, guzzles gas, high-maintenance and requires a long runway to take-off.

Not being negative, a good opportunity for PAF if they are interested while waiting for new MRF to come.

F-5A/B is the best platform for PAF continous flight training since our Flyboys are already familiar with the plane, PERO SA TINGIN KO AY MUKHANG UBOS NA YUNG FLYING HOURS ng KOREAN F-5A/B.

Forty years in service with Korean Air Force, ano pa ang matitira sa PAF?? Even well maintained by KOREANs, problem will arise later on. Another history again of PAF F-5 mothballed list.

How can our PAF pilot continue their flight training, if those F-5 for 100 dollars are already in the end of their service life???????? Peace to all.

Guys, just a question? How much does 1 flyable, second hand, A4, Kfirs, Mirage or available F5E/Fs cost? Can we buy 1 for USD5,000?

We are always saying we are totally naked with no flying air force doing surveillance patrol. We keep on talking about the Chinese being able to make structures without us knowing it. Our main problem right now is money. Money to buy those younger generation planes you are suggesting.

My thought is this. USD5,000 you buy the whole lot of 50 units of those Korean F5s. With that number, we might be able to make at least a minimum of 1 flyable unit, for USD5000 only. Any planes that can be made flyable can do surveillance work needed. Do it in tandem with those PKMs we are also planning to buy, we can have a "workable" patrol force. If our neighbors knows that we are watching, it would be a practical deterrent than none at all.

Now all the money intended for our new MRF's will just be less USD5,000, but at least we will have some "flying assets" for the time being to cover our ass in areas not reachable by our patrol ships. No dog fighting and attack missions on foreign lands intended. Just pure patrolling and training of our pilots.

Well, as you have said, if nothing comes up with those old aircraft then :

:dunno:

buy the whole lot, $5000 is just the allowance of one air force general.

See now? :armyroleyes:

Aside from corruption, one other problem I see with the AFP is that it focuses too much on infantry combat. I understand that fighting insurgents and terrorists is our Armed Forces' leading priority. This means bulk of its limited resources are allocated to Army and the Marines. The other services have largely played supporting roles to the grunts. The Navy, with its LSTs became a means to ship soldiers and their equipment to the AO by sea. The Air Force with its Hueys and C130, a means to send them to battle by air.

I understand that in order to neuralize the NPA, ASG and JI, the Army and Marines need new rifles, machine guns, howitzers, trucks, APCs, body armor, radios, NVGs and helicopters. I also understand that maintaining a squadron of MRFs or missile-armed high-speed patrol boats cost as much as buying enough Kevlar Helmets for an Infantry division. The cost of fuel for that same number of sea or air assets can buy a year's supply of .223 ammo. However, putting all the DND eggs in the PA/PMC basket is no guarantee that the Philippine Theater to the War can be fought with the Army and Marines with their M16s, M60E3s and combat boots.

They could also use means to effectively rain down more bombs and rockets on Terrorist strongholds accurately. They also need a means to keep terrorists, narcos and pirates out of our waters especially on the Southern Backdoor and unsavory characters like Misuari or Garci in. Also, we might need something to intercept and take if necessary shoot down airliners that supposedly strayed off-course and headed on a Kamkikaze run. That is why we need MRFs. I bet Hueys, SF260s, MG 520s or AS211s can't effectively pull those off. They may cost much compared to a Scout Ranger company but they're worth every penny.

Saver 111,

:exactly:

Well, our Air Force once used A World War Two vintage Tora-Tora,

then Korean F-5A/B for 100 dollars is really a bargain and an IMMEDIATE SOLUTION to fill the vacumm of our Air Force no flying capabilities. Better than nothing.

:agree: with the patrol and surveillance thing in order to send signal to our neighbors that we are in serious business on watching our territory.

Im just wondering why the KOREAN market the F-5A/B for such THROW AWAY PRICE???CALL IT PARANOIA, BUT theres a LITTLE DOUBT AT THE BACK OF MY MIND. Peace bro. :armycheers:

edwin,

Like everyone here in the forum, I wished that we can have all the latest equipments in the the world that [/B]"money can Buy"[B] But the sad fact is, that we're broke. We cannot compete with our neighbors. Unlike the Koreans, they have the money and they have the reason to be Paranoid about. Just like some of us here, why the need to defend ourselves against our neighbors? Its because we have something greater to be paranoid with. And what do we need to do about it?

Remember some of us here, due to our desperate needs are even suggesting to re-activate our F5s! For USD5,000 if we could activate at least 2, its already a big diffrence, if more, the better. With it, we did not used up our budget for our intended MRFs. All savings made may then be put on that budget and buy a squadron of the latest we could buy from it.

This is just a thought since as I said it could help for the time being in conducting patrols in our vastly expanded EEZ, while "Waiting" (when will it be approved) for the much needed modern equipments.

:agree: to all of you suggesting the latest MRFs, but like this energy crisis going on, if you're going to one place with limited budget, would you still opt to use your porsche or your scooter which could also accomplish your goal? :dunno:

The AT28 was built in the 1950s as a Basic Trainer/light attack plane. It never made WW2.

:agree: saver111

Look guys, you told that $5,000 is just an allowance for our general in service. do we have an active jet fighter in service? there many general around but no fighter jets assigned to be in frontline. :drunk: reviving the fleet of F-5 A/B is not a bad concept. use your mind, grab the opportunity to have them than losing them where the general are the one who is left in the frontline and no personnel in jet to be commanded.My point is acquire them all it is because they are just in same amount of the allowance for our generals in service. Later on we can assigned them to the different air groups that they fit in to like the training school, information gathering and surveillance.Canibalize them also, used as a spare, or just utilize them to maximum limitation. Not all of you may agree to me but we badly need those jets. We must fill up the short comings of our airforce right now.
The absent of the so called "MRF's" of the airforce is also a big blow to our national security.Where not even sure right now what kind of MRF will appear in the hangar of the flyboys.The modernization is still in the desk for approval and speculations only still we hold on .for just $5000 we can activate them already. it will make difference instead of giving those amounts to the generals.

:tomcat:

again, the PAF will be better off having aircraft such as the F-5E/F, Kfir and Mirage F1 rather than the radarless (and unsupported on the ground) F-5A/Bs.

the F-5A/Bs will see better use as lead-in fighter trainers than as frontline combat aircraft.

precisely, the possibility of getting planes for LIFT duties are high with this SK offer. at least our flyboys would get their asses up in the air instead of just drooling on what kind of MRF would they get to fly in the future. kaasar na nga't na disband na 5th TFW e, palalampasin pa ba natin 'to?

Don't worry guys, with those F5As and Bs our PAF will fly like this with our new MRF:

:specool:

i don't think the PAF will have those F-5A/Bs merely as LIFTs. they would the aircraft used to re-activate the 5th Fighter Wing and those 40 year old aircraft will see PAF service for 20 more years before the PAF decides to get F-5E/Fs (that time, our neighbors are already flying in stealth planes). :headbang:

It'd be interesting to see what may happen within the next 20 years. If PAF is still stuck with the F-5A/Bs then.... :headbang: