Once operational, the KF-21 is expected to be armed with a series of air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles – and possibly even air-launched cruise missiles.
The twin-engine battles will come in single-seat and two-seat versions, depending on the missions assigned to them.
“A new era of independent defense has begun and it is a historic stage in development [South Korean] aviation industry, “said President Moon Jae-in at the launch of KF-21, nicknamed Boramae, or” young falcon trained for hunting, “at Korea Aerospace Industries’ production plant in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province.
Moon said that after the completion of ground and flight tests, mass production of the KF-21 will begin with a target of 40 aircraft deployed by 2028 and 120 by 2032.
“When full-scale mass production begins, an additional 100,000 jobs will be created and we will have an added value of 5.9 trillion Korean won ($ 5.2 billion). The effect will be much greater if they be exported, “Moon said.
South Korea is expected to produce six KF-21 prototypes for testing and development, with the first three to be completed by the end of this year and the next three in the first half of 2022, according to the Defense Procurement Program Administration (DAPA). the country. .
Exclusive club
While only 65% of the KF-21 is of South Korean origin, its launch still marks a significant achievement for a country that does not have a long history of aircraft production.
“When the final tests are completed in the future, South Korea will become the eighth country in the world to develop an advanced supersonic fighter,” a government statement said.
These countries are the United States, Russia, China, Japan, France, Sweden and a European consortium of the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Of these, only the United States and China have deployed domestically manufactured fifth-generation fighter jets – aircraft with stealth technologies, radar blocking capabilities and advanced avionics that integrate on-board and remote data to provide pilots with complete real-time image of their operation, according to the Joint Air Force Competence Center NATO.
While DAPA calls the KF-21 a 4.5-generation fighter jet because it lacks, for example, an internal weapons compartment to increase stealthiness, analysts say it could fly higher and faster than the fastest. new fifth generation US fighter. , F-35, and still carries a robust load of weapons.
“KF-21 is the first fighter to be manufactured with in-house technology and indicates that South Korea is now able to build fighter jets on its own. It will also be a cornerstone for developing better fighter jets. and to operate locally developed weapons, “a DAPA statement told CNN.
KF-21 is a joint venture between South Korea and Indonesia, in which Seoul holds 80% of the shares, while Jakarta seeks 20%. South Korea says Indonesia is lagging behind in terms of project payments, but negotiations are continuing and Jakarta’s defense minister was set to launch on Friday.
Moon hailed Indonesia for its role. “In particular, I thank the Indonesian government for becoming a partner that believed in the potential of South Korea,” he said.
The new fighter aircraft is expected to replace the F-4 and F-5 fighter jets in South Korea, third-generation aircraft designed in the United States first introduced in the 1960s.
As production increases, it could replace the fourth-generation F-16 and F-15K in South Korea, wrote analyst Abraham Ait, editor-in-chief of Military Watch magazine last year.
South Korea also operates F-35 stealth fighters, receiving the first in command with 40 jets in 2018.
Sales abroad
While the KF-21 could eventually replace hundreds of fighter jets in South Korea’s fleet, it also has significant export potential, as its price is expected to be significantly lower than the F-35s on which the US sells to the foreign military.
Thailand, the Philippines and possibly even Iraq “could be the main customers for the fighter,” Ait wrote, noting that these countries all operate the same type of aircraft that KF-21 will replace in South Korea’s fleet. They were also customers for South Korea’s FA-50 light attack fighter.
If Seoul is successful in marketing KF-21 as an export product, it will continue a trend for South Korea. According to statistics from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, arms exports from Seoul were 210% higher from 2016 to 2020 than in the last five years – giving South Korea a 2.7% share of the world market. of weapons worldwide.
Government spokesman Lim Se-eun said on Thursday that South Korea intends to build its own surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, electronic warfare capabilities, improve its air defenses, build more powerful weapons and ensures an independent satellite navigation system and space warfare capability – all with the goal of being in the top seven nations in the global airline industry by 2030.