MELBOURNE – Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has rolled out the first production KF-21 Boramae fighter jet, less than two years after construction on it began and four years after the first prototype aircraft made it maiden flight.
The aircraft, a two-seat jet carrying the serial number 26-001, rolled out at KAI’s facilities at Sacheon on Wednesday in a ceremony attended by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, where he said the program embodied the country’s aspirations to be reliant in self-defense, according to national news agency Yonhap.
“The government will leverage this success as a solid foundation for advancing Korea into one of the top four defense-industrial nations,” he said in remarked carried by the Korea Times, pledging that the country will continue to invest in the development of advanced aircraft engines, materials and components.
The rollout was a significant development for the KF-21 program, which marked another milestone in January with the completion of its flight test program.
South Korea first conceptualized its own indigenous fighter program 25 years ago, although the final go ahead to start development was only made in 2015. Beside KAI, its development also involving stakeholders such as South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development and Korean defense giant Hanwha.
The KF-21 is considered a 4.5 generation fighter jet and will be equipped with a mix of indigenous and Western sensors and weapons in service, including the KGGB precision glide bomb and European MBDA Meteor air-to-air missile, according to South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
South Korea has ordered 40 KF-21 in Block 1 configuration which will be used mainly in the air-to-air role. It is also developing the Block 2 variant which will expand the type’s air-to-ground capabilities with reportedly another 80 Block 2 aircraft contracted for the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF).
KAI is also seeking export sales of the type, potentially to Indonesia, which is a development partner for the KF-21, and the Philippines.
The KF-21s will first be used to replace the RoKAF’s F-4 Phantom and KF-5 Tiger II fighter jets. The F-4s have already been retired from South Korean service in 2025, and the KF-5s are expected to follow in the coming years.