Korean Air Aerospace Division

Order of Battle · Aircraft manufacturers · South Korea

Korean Air Aerospace Division

KAL-ASD · Korean Air Aerospace Business Division

An airline’s factory became South Korea’s first aircraft builder, assembling 200 MD 500s, 68 Tiger II fighters and some 150 Black Hawks before designing the country’s first home-grown aeroplane.

1976Founded
ActiveStatus
5Aircraft on record
2Air forces flying its types
Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Greg Johnson / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
CountrySouth KoreaFounded1976HeadquartersBusanOwnerKorean AirStatusActive
The story

Korean Air Aerospace Division: the company and the aircraft that made its name

An airline that builds aircraft

Most airlines buy aircraft. Korean Air started building them. In 1976 its aerospace division began licence production of the Hughes, later McDonnell Douglas, 500MD helicopter, and by 1984 it had delivered 200 to the Republic of Korea forces, 50 of them armed with TOW anti-tank missiles. It also took on maintenance of US military aircraft in Asia, and still runs a depot business for the US Department of Defense.

Tigers and Black Hawks

Fighters came next. Between 1982 and 1986 the division built 68 Northrop F-5 Tiger IIs under licence, 48 single-seat KF-5Es and 20 two-seat KF-5Fs. From the 1990s it produced the UH-60P Black Hawk, an improved UH-60L for the Korean Army; around 150 were built. It also makes the wings and aft fuselage of the KF-16 and parts for Boeing and Airbus airliners from the 737 to the A380.

Blue Sky 91 and unmanned helicopters

In 1991 the division flew the Chang-Gong 91, Blue Sky 91, a four-seat light aircraft designed with the Korea Institute of Aeronautical Technology and billed as the first aircraft designed, built and tested in Korea. In October 2015 it showed a mock-up of an unmanned, armed MD 500, a way to reuse up to 175 ageing helicopters, and it has since concentrated on drones and military upgrades alongside its airliner parts.

An airline’s factory became South Korea’s first aircraft builder, assembling 200 MD 500s, 68 Tiger II fighters and some 150 Black Hawks before designing the country’s first home-grown aeroplane.Korean Air Aerospace Division · verified 2026-10-03
At a glance

Korean Air Aerospace Division in numbers

The company

In short
Founded 1976

  • Aerospace arm of the airline Korean Air
  • Based in Busan
  • Military depot maintenance since 1978

Production

Best known for
500MD, KF-5, UH-60P

  • 200 500MD helicopters, 1976–1984
  • 68 KF-5E/F fighters, 1982–1986
  • About 150 UH-60P Black Hawks
  • Chang-Gong 91 light aircraft, 1991
  • Airliner parts for Boeing and Airbus

Today

Now
Parts, upgrades and drones

  • KF-16 wings and fuselage sections
  • Boeing 787 and Airbus components
  • Unmanned helicopter and UAV programmes

The numbers

500MD helicopters built
2001976–1984
F-5E/F built under licence
681982–1986
UH-60P built
about 130–150 (sources differ)
The aircraft

Every notable Korean Air Aerospace Division aircraft

Korean Air UH-60P Black HawkUtility helicopter · about 150 built

Photos: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Greg Johnson / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Aircraft Role First flight Built Status Note
Korean Air 500MD Light military helicopter 200 In service 50 armed with TOW missiles
Korean Air KF-5E/F Jegongho Light fighter (licence-built F-5E/F) 68 In service 48 KF-5E, 20 KF-5F; ROKAF plans to retire F-5s by 2027
Korean Air UH-60P Black Hawk Utility helicopter about 150 In service Based on the UH-60L for the ROK Army
Korean Air Chang-Gong 91 Four-seat light aircraft 1991 Retired Designed with the Korea Institute of Aeronautical Technology
KUS-VH Unmanned armed helicopter concept (MD 500 based) Mock-up unveiled October 2015
Who flies them

Korean Air Aerospace Division aircraft in the world’s air forces

2 air forces in the Order of Battle fly or flew Korean Air Aerospace Division types. 2 of them still have one in service.

Air force In service Formerly flown
Republic of Korea Army Aviation Hughes/Korean Air 500MD and 500MD/TOW Defender, Sikorsky/Korean Air UH-60P Black Hawk
Republic of Korea Navy aviation (Naval Air Command) Sikorsky/Korean Air UH-60P Black Hawk
Places, people, records

Where Korean Air Aerospace Division built, who led it, what it achieved

Factories

  • Busan / Gimhae · Gimhae International Airport area, Busan — Maintenance facilities at Gimhae
Timeline

Korean Air Aerospace Division, year by year

1976

Aerospace division begins 500MD licence production

1978

Military aircraft depot maintenance begins

1982

First Korean-built F-5E/F enters service

1984

500MD production ends after 200

1986

KF-5 production completed

1991

Chang-Gong 91 designed and flown

2000

Boeing Supplier of the Year award

2015

KUS-VH unmanned MD 500 shown

Questions & Answers

Everything people ask about Korean Air Aerospace Division

Does Korean Air build aircraft?
Yes. Its Aerospace Division, founded in 1976, has licence-built MD 500 helicopters, F-5 fighters and UH-60 Black Hawks, and makes parts for Boeing and Airbus.
How many F-5s did Korean Air build?
68 between 1982 and 1986: 48 KF-5Es and 20 KF-5Fs.
What was the Chang-Gong 91?
A four-seat light aircraft flown in 1991, designed with the Korea Institute of Aeronautical Technology and built by Korean Air.
Is Korean Air Aerospace the same as KAI?
No. Korea Aerospace Industries is a separate company; Korean Air’s division supplies it with KF-16 and KT-1 structures.

Continue the tour

Around Korean Air Aerospace Division

South KoreaKAIStitched together from three chaebol aircraft divisions broken by the 1997 crash, KAI took Korea from licence-building F-16s to selling its own supersonic jets to NATO…Read the KAI pageThe indexAll aircraft manufacturersEvery company that built an aircraft flown by the air forces in the Order of Battle, current and historic.Open the list
Sources & Further Reading

Every fact, checked

Verified 2026-10-03.