The
Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) is the primary customer for the type. During 2000, the first KT-1 Woongbi was handed over to the ROKAF; deliveries had originally been scheduled to commence two years earlier. By the end of that year, eight aircraft had been delivered to the service; reportedly, a rate of production of two aircraft per month had been achieved by this point. By November 2003, the assembly line was reportedly about to be put on hold following the completion of the ROKAF's order; however, KAI aimed to restart production within two-three years based upon follow-on orders. However, a follow-on ROKAF order for 20 aircraft was received that same month. The majority of the ROKAF's fleet can be armed with both
gun pods and
rockets, which are intended to be used for weapons training. One of the first export customers for the KT-1 was
Indonesia. During early 2001, Indonesia exchanged 8
CASA/IPTN CN-235 transport aircraft for 12 KT-1 trainers. On 25 April 2003, the first KT-1 was delivered to Indonesia, a move which represented the first Korean aircraft export; commenting at the time, KAI stated that it was presently in negotiations for a 13-trainer follow-on order. During early 2011, reported emerged that Indonesia was interested in further acquisitions, but South Korean officials denied that any further barter deals had been agreed. In addition to its use as a basic trainer, the
Indonesian Air Force have equipped their
Jupiter Aerobatic Team with the KT-1. On 15 March 2015, a serious
midair collision occurred during a practice session for Malaysia's
Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition. Initial reports stated that all four pilots survived the collision. During June 2007, South Korea and
Turkey successfully negotiated a contract for 40 (+15) KT-1s; this exchange involved the modular armor technology of the
K2 Black Panther main battle tank (MBT), which Turkey hopes to use upon its own future indigenous
Atlay MBT. The last of these aircraft, which were designated
KT-1T and jointly manufactured by the two nations, was delivered during late 2012. During April 2015, it was announced that Turkey would procure a further 15 KT-1Ts as a stop-gap measure until development of its indigenous
TAI Hürkuş trainer aircraft could be completed. On 6 November 2012, KAI and the
Peruvian Air Force signed a contract for 20 KT-1Ps, comprising ten KT and ten KA versions as well as some
offset and
technology transfer arrangements, for an approximate amount of US$208 million. KAI was to provide the first four aircraft by the end of 2014, while the remainder were to be locally assembled by SEMAN, the maintenance air wing of the Peruvian Air Force. The type shall progressively replace the aging fleets of
Aermacchi MB-339 and
Embraer EMB 312 Tucano aircraft. During April 2015, the first locally manufactured KT-1P was delivered to the Peruvian Air Force. During November 2018,
Spain proposed a
barter deal to South Korea's
Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) involving the KT-1 and other Korean aircraft, potentially involving up to 30 planes, which Spain wished to exchange for up to 6
Airbus A400M Atlas transport planes. If completed, this deal would be first export of the KT-1 to a
European Union country. ==Variants==