During 2002, KAI revealed that they were working on the production of an upgraded and armed version of the KT-1 basic trainer. This variant, designated KO-1, was intended to be used in the forward air control and counter-insurgency (COIN) roles. Development was conducted in cooperation with the Agency for Defence Development (ADD) and had been undertaken in response to an existing RKAF requirement for 20-40 aircraft."KAI arms trainer for new role." Flight International, 5 March 2002. According to a KAI representative, the KO-1 is ideally suited for drug interdiction operations and that the company was pitching the variant towards countries in Latin America.Sobie, Brendan. "KAI offers upgraded versions of KT-1 in bid to extend production." Flight International, 25 April 2006.
