The first serial-production KF-21 Boramae fighter rolled out of Korea Aerospace Industries’ (KAI) Sacheon facility in South Gyeongsang on 25 March. The twin-seater, with tail number ‘26-001’, taxied under its own power to a ceremony attended by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
The aircraft is scheduled to undergo further performance verification before entering service with the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) in September.
KF-21s will replace the ROKAF’s F-4 Phantom and KF-5 Tiger II fighters. The F-4s retired in 2024, while the KF-5s will follow in due course.
Lee remarked in his speech: “The fighter jet standing proudly before you embodies the fervent aspiration for self-reliant national defence that our people have dreamed of for over half a century.”
This marked a major milestone in the KF-21 programme, originally unveiled by then president Kim Dae-jung in 2001. The go-ahead for the project was given in 2015, and it was formally launched as the KF-X project the following year.
The programme reached a key point with the rollout of its first of six prototypes in April 2021. A 42-month testing campaign followed, concluding in January this year. The six prototypes carried out 955 ground tests and 1,601 flight tests. The system development phase of the programme is currently ongoing.
The ROKAF has 40 KF-21 Block I aircraft on order, with 20 planned for production by 2027 and a further 20 by 2028.
The Block I configuration is optimised primarily for air-to-air missions, and is capable of carrying four MBDA Meteor missiles in recessed attachment points along the central fuselage. It will also be equipped with IRIS-T infrared-guided missiles for within-visual-range engagements, as well as precision-guided munitions for a limited air-to-ground capability.
The air force plans to subsequently place an order for Block II aircraft, a variant that adds expanded air-to-ground capabilities such as the Korean Air-Launched Cruise Missile and other improvements.
The future Block III version of the jet, also referred to as the KF-21EX, is planned to have internal weapons bays.
Revealed in a video sequence during the 25 March roll-out was a concept of a KF-21EJ (escort jammer) electronic warfare variant, among other potential future evolutions of the aircraft.
The video clip showed the KF-21EJ configured with jamming pods, as well as the Korean Anti-Radiation Missile, a new anti-radiation weapon for suppression and destruction of enemy air defences missions.
At the ceremony, the president also emphasised that the KF-21 could play a key role in boosting South Korea’s rapidly growing defence export sector. To date, Indonesia – a development partner in the KF-21 programme – and the Philippines have been identified as the most promising prospective export customers.
by Roy Choo
