2 weeks Ago By Jung So-yeon
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) announced its participation in the Iraq Defense Exhibition (IQDEX 2025), held from April 19 to 22, where it engaged in marketing activities aimed at exploring additional export opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa markets. Since its inaugural event in 2012, IQDEX has grown to its 13th edition this year, becoming the representative international defense exhibition for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Notable visitors included the Prime Minister of Iraq and key representatives from various Middle Eastern and African nations.
At the exhibition, KAI showcased its flagship models, including the KF-21, FA-50, and LAH, along with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) such as UCAVs and AAPs, demonstrating the expandability of its manned and unmanned integrated systems. KAI's next-generation aerial combat system (NACS), which applies manned-unmanned integrated systems to fixed-wing and rotary-wing platforms, is currently attracting significant interest in overseas markets. Particularly, the exhibition featured the introduction of aerial-launch unmanned vehicles (ALE) capable of target identification and destruction, deployed from the Surion (KUH) and the LAH, emphasizing the future operational concepts for both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft.
The Middle East has traditionally favored weapon systems from the U.S. and Europe, but due to limitations in follow-up support and performance upgrades, countries in the region are increasingly turning to South Korean weapon systems, known for their reliability and scalability.
In light of recent security concerns in the Middle East, key countries in the region are actively strengthening their defense capabilities. The demand for replacing outdated aircraft aligns with heightened interest in KAI's various platforms, including the FA-50 and KF-21. Notably, Iraq, the host nation, signed a contract worth approximately 135.
8 billion won for the acquisition of Surion helicopters in December last year. The contracted helicopters are specialized firefighting variants developed for emergency missions. Iraq has previously acquired KAI’s T-50 and has been involved in CLS and base reconstruction projects.
The recent acquisition of the specialized firefighting helicopters reinforces the close relationship between KAI and Iraq, as discussions also focus on performance upgrades for the T-50IQ aircraft in operation, along with the potential for future acquisitions of both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. “In Iraq, we succeeded in exporting completed aircraft for the first time in 11 years after the export of 24 T-50IQs in 2013 through the signing of the Surion export contract last December," said an official from KAI. "Based on our diversified export platforms, we aim to expand the export of our flagship models in the Middle East and Africa while strengthening partnerships for future projects with various countries.
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