KTX-2 Indigenous Trainer
The KTX-2 Indigenous Trainer program is a three-phase project started in 1990. Its aim is to produce indigenous trainers that can be used as supersonic light fighters by the year 2005. The project was suspended at the end of 1995, shortly after the first design phase concluded when the Ministry of Finance and Economy (MFE) declared that it could no longer invest any further funds in the program, which would require a total of 1.3 trillion won. The primary contractor, Samsung Aerospace, is teamed with Lockheed-Martin as a partner. The KTX-2 program was originally planned to start as soon as the assembly of the F-16s was completed.
As the Korean Aerospace industry could not design and produce critical composite materials, precision components, and avionics, the ROKG decided to target the following in order to develop near self-sufficiency in aircraft development through the KTX-II project:
- Manufacturing/Production technology: up to 95 percent
- Test/Evaluation technology: 80 percent
- Designing and development technology: 70 percent.
In addition, the government decided to cover 70 percent of total development costs for the KTX-II program under the budget prepared by the Ministry of National Defense (MND).
