What is lost in this discussion is that arguably the T-50 is a 70% American plane.

It’s not only lost in this discussion, but it’s also lost in the Korean media, and Korean discussion boards.

On a side note, there was a special broadcast on Korean TV, on the occasion of the rollout of the T-50. The special recreated a ROKAF meeting which was discussing whether the ROKAF should buy an existing airframe or develop a new trainer domestically. According to the special, older officers called for buying an existing airframe, while the younger ones called for a domestic developed trainer in order to develop the national aerospace industry and secure “independence.” Ironically, the domestically developed trainer that resulted from the meeting is, according to Tom, 70% American.

And the word within the defense industry is that since the plane is essentially a Lockheed product, the US Embassy staff are heavily involved in pushing the sale of the planes to the UAE.

That pissed off the emiratis a great deal, considering that they had already gone through the trouble of hiring Korean flight attendants.

I’m not surprised they want a route to Abu Dhabi. UAE is increasingly trying to get people to fly into Abu Dhabi over Dubai if you’re just passing through because Dubai gets way more traffic than it can handle. In Abu Dhabi I waited at immigration for less than 10 minutes, and in Dubai I waited an hour and 40 minutes, as an example.