The Cheapest Most Powerful Fighter in Existence



In the heart of the Philippines, the rugged tropical landscape echoed with the thunderous roar of engines. Two FA-50 Golden Eagles, South Korea’s latest fighter, streak across the horizon on their way to their objective: a hostile base full of radical Islamic insurgents.

Equipped with tactical datalink, EL/M-2032 radar, state-of-the-art HUD, and sensors, the Philippine Golden Eagles locate the enemy and attack with precision and lethality.

The Eagles swiftly scan the ground below, and before the insurgents can race for cover, they drop their bomb ordnance. The Mach-capable aircraft, honoring their American F-16 legacy, leave a trail of destruction behind and turn around, prepared for a second run.

When they do, mayhem takes hold of the insurgents, with the Golden Eagles’ powerful 20-millimeter Gatling guns and FFAR rockets turning fortifications into rubble.

In the blink of an eye, the FA-50s destroy the Islamist strongholds and return to their base, preserving the Philippines from a rising threat.
The Golden Eagle ushers a new decade of affordable yet highly effective aircraft for nations with a smaller military budget, costing around 40 million apiece, representing almost one-third of the price of a modern American or European fourth-generation fighter aircraft.

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28 thoughts on “The Cheapest Most Powerful Fighter in Existence”

  1. The FA-50, yup our air force did used them against the Maute-ISIS group during 2017, siege of Marawi. Within 5 months the city has been liberated against the Maute-ISIS and spoiled the plans of the terrorist to build a caliphate in South East Asia.

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  2. “ Full of radical Islamic insurgents”. 0:18

    People that have not studied Islam say this all the time. If you have studied Islam, you know that a radical Islamic insurgent is nothing more than just an Islamic person following Islam. radical Islam does not exist. It’s just Islam.

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  3. 6:32 Wrong Sir…..its not the cheapest aircraft in the world….rather Pakistani JF -17 Thunder with its blocks 1,2 each cost 25 million USD as compared to FA-50 being 40 million USD & block 3 with 4.5 Gen avionics(AESA radar ,HUD is 30 million USD a piece) specifications …..all have won battle honours in air missions against India & 2019(with 2 kills) and against Iran in 2024 with deep penetrative precision steikes the cheapest with avionics matching a

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  4. Ang South Korea lht ng bagay kya na nilang gawin , katulad ng Fighter Jets , Rockets , Commercial Planes , warships , luxury cars , motor cycles etc . etc . Samantalang ang Pilipinas kung ikukumpara sa SK , CCHN , NK nasa huli ang Pilipinas . Bkt ganoon ? simple lang ang kasagutan , ang mga pulitiko at AFP , PNP Corrupt , kya mahirap ang bansa natin . ang masakit damay lht ang pilipino kpag kinukutya tayo sa abroad , samantalang kagagawan ito ng ating mga lider . dpt ito ang harapin ng NPA para mawala na sa balat ng lupa .

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  5. For a long time I've thought we (USA) need something between our super expensive, huge payload, highly advanced, F-16, F-15, F-22, F35 Strike fighters and fighter bombers. They are messing around with the Super Tucano and the AT-180 SkyWarden. And while they are great A/C, perfect for recon, counter insurgency, strikes in an un-contested environment they are still "Light Attack" and far from a "light fighter". In a contested air space they have zero chance of survivability. The FA-50 does have that survivability with its 1.5 Mach ability (F-35 has 1.6 Mach capability reportedly). It fits a role somewhere in the middle, between a "budget" light attack and our big boy Gucci fighters. Using an F-35 or F-22 to take out some bad guys in a mud hut seems like overkill when you could send one or two of these in at a fraction of the price. And unlike the Super Tucano or SkyWarden, they can be in and out in a fraction of the time. Maybe that role is for drones now?

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  6. It would have been nice if we got Gripens. Advanced fighters with V/STOL capabilities can be amazing defending an archipelagic country. I don't want to see a repeat of WW2 where our air force got bombed on the ground. And the Gripen, I heard, WAS in contention with the FA-50.

    But the FA-50 looks capable enough, and the logistics/maintenance train isn't in a far-off Northern European country.

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  7. It's a bit much to refer to radical Islamic insurgents, given that the vast bulk of the violence in the world today is from other sources.
    Islamophobia much?
    Disclaimer: I am neither a Muslim, nor fascinated by Islam.

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  8. the most important for the country right now is that to have a functional air force & make sure that the opex for that is sustainable otherwise its all broken wings on the ground

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