Black Eagles steal King's attention

LANGKAWI: The Republic of Korean Air Force's (ROKAF) Black Eagles aerobatic team has not only been the hot topic of discussions at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2023 (LIMA '23) here but also captured the attention of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

Amid the hot and sunny weather, the King came down to the tarmac of the Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre (MIEC) today to have a closer look at the KAI-50B light fighter aircraft, which is on display among the many other military aircraft.

"I am also a pilot," he said jokingly when boarding the aircraft. His Majesty spent about 10 minutes onboard the aircraft and listened to the briefing given by one of the pilots.

Accompanied by the Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) president and chief executive officer Kang Goo Young, Al-Sultan Abdullah was also heard to have uttered a few words in Korean, such as 'kamsahamnida' which means 'thank you', during the visit.

Also present were Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Transport Minister Anthony Loke and Chief of Defence Force General Tan Sri Affendi Buang.

The airshow by the Black Eagles, with their formation of 'Taeguk' (South Korean flag) using white smoke generators from the aircraft, was one of the most-awaited events at LIMA '23.

The ROKAF Black Eagles made its debut in 2017 using eight training aircraft T-50B Golden Eagle developed by KAI.

Earlier, His Majesty also visited several booths at the MIEC and personally checked out the interior design of the E195-E2 Embraer Commercial Jet.

The E195-E2 jet is a single-aisle aircraft which comes with the lowest fuel and noise emissions and a seating capacity of 136 passengers and about seven hours of flight range.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong also graced the signing ceremony of an agreement between SKS Airways, Embraer and Azorra.

-- BERNAMA