South Korea-Malaysia airworthiness certification agreement boosts FA-50 exports in Asia-Pacific

South Korea and Malaysia Forge First-of-its-Kind Military Airworthiness Certification Pact

Mohd Hanif Ismail - : Oct 21, 2025 - : 8:20 pm

South Korea and Malaysia have taken a significant step in defence-industry collaboration by signing a mutual recognition agreement on military aircraft airworthiness certification. This agreement, inked on 21 October 2025, enables each country to recognise the flight-suitability certification of the...

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Under the accord, South Korea will undertake the airworthiness certification process for 18 of its light-combat jets destined for Malaysia — the FA‑50 block-20/“M” variant. The deal is notable: it is Seoul’s first mutual recognition agreement of this kind with an Asian partner.

According to the original report by Malaysian news agency Bernama, the pact is “the first of its kind between South Korea and a country in Asia.”

The agreement arrives against the backdrop of Malaysia having signed a contract in February 2023 worth roughly RM4 billion (about US$920 million) with the South Korean manufacturer Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) to purchase 18 FA-50 aircraft. The fact that Malaysia and South Korea now establish co-certification of airworthiness underlines a deeper move from pure procurement into sustaining the aerospace ecosystem, including training, maintenance and lifecycle support — a key trend in the Asia-Pacific defence market.

This deal enhances the export competitiveness of domestic aircraft and underlines Seoul’s ambition to become a regional exporter of military platforms. As DAPA Minister Seok Jong‑gun put it, the mutual certification agreement “is expected to serve as an occasion to expand exports of home-grown aircraft to Asian countries and to strengthen the domestic aerospace industry via defence-industry cooperation.”

Malaysia sits among a growing list of Southeast Asian users of the FA-50 or related T-50 trainer family, which includes Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.

Looking ahead, Malaysia is reportedly considering acquiring a second batch of 18 FA-50Ms — potentially doubling its fleet to 36 aircraft — and establishing a local maintenance and industry base linked to the Korean supply chain.

Seoul has signed similar agreements with the United States, Poland and Spain — this marks its eighth such partnership.