LIMA, Peru - The Peruvian Air Force has officially accepted the first two KT-1P training aircraft from South Korea into service. The service conducted an inaugural flight on October 21 at the Las Palmas air base in Lima.
The aircraft were delivered months ahead of schedule and arrived in Peru last month but were subject to initial test flights prior to acceptance with the Air Force.
Peru ordered 20 KT-1s from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in November 2012. The $200 million order will be split, with 10 to be the trainer version and the other 10 to be the KT-1 light attack variant. KAI will manufacture the first four aircraft, and the remaining 16 will be assembled locally by KAI and Peruvian Air Force technicians from SEMAN.
The aircraft will be designated the Torito in Peruvian service. The KT-1Ps will eventually replace the T-27 Tucanos used for pilot training.