November 12, 2012: South Korea has sold twenty of their new KT-1 turboprop flight trainers to Peru in a $200 million deal. Actually, ten of these aircraft will be the KA-1 combat version. Four of the twenty aircraft will be built in South Korea and the other 16 assembled in Peru from South Korean made components. The advanced features, and low price, of the KT-1 version make it a very attractive package.

Three years ago South Korea sold 55 of the KT-1T version to Turkey. This model has a pressurized cockpit, high tech (flat screens and all) controls, and an oxygen generating system. Turkey is buying 55 of these basic aircraft trainers, for $910,000 each. Twelve of the KT-1B were also sold to Indonesia.

The 2.5 ton KT-1 has a single engine and a maximum speed of up to 574 kilometers per hour. The KT-1 has two seats, can fly up to 35,000 feet, and stay in the air for five hours per sortie. Max range is about 1,700 kilometers.

The KA-1 version has five hard points and a head-up display. The KA-1 is almost identical to the KO-1 version of the aircraft and is used as a spotter aircraft by the Korean army and air force. These combat versions can be equipped with a machine-gun pod, as well as up to half a ton of bombs and rockets.