Philippines to buy TA-50 light attack aircraft from S. Korea

The Philippine air force will purchase 12 TA-50 light attack aircraft from South Korea in a deal worth 25 billion pesos (about US$591.3 million), a local news report said Wednesday.

Each aircraft costs 1.25 billion pesos with the dozen fighter jets expected to be delivered by 2013, ABS-CBN news of the Philippines reported on its Web site, citing officials at the Philippine air force.

South Korea rolled out the armed version of its T-50 supersonic trainer jet early last year and has deployed the TA-50 in stages since then