Industry officials said Friday that a rollout ceremony for the first production aircraft will be held in the final week of this month at Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) headquarters in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang province. Government and other key officials are expected to attend.
The aircraft to be unveiled will undergo ground and flight testing before being delivered to the Air Force in the second half of this year. The Air Force plans to introduce 40 domestically built KF-21s in stages by 2028. It aims to secure 80 more by 2032, for a total fleet of 120.
Deliveries of the KF-21 are expected to affect the Air Force’s fighter mix, including replacing aging F-4 and F-5 jets and reducing reliance on U.S. technology. Most of the Air Force’s main fighters, including F-16s and stealth aircraft, are produced in the United States, making the development of the supersonic KF-21 a significant step, officials said.
South Korea’s push to develop indigenous combat aircraft gained momentum in December 2005, when the first mass-produced T-50 supersonic advanced trainer was delivered. In December 2015, the country began development of the KF-21, moving toward an independent fighter production system.
Expectations are also rising for export growth, with Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines, as well as Middle Eastern nations, cited as potential customers. Supporters point to the T-50’s exports to those markets as evidence of performance, and say additional orders are possible. The article said President Lee Jae-myung has also engaged in direct defense sales efforts with those countries, adding to export optimism.
KAI plans to secure 6.544 trillion won — 62.7% of its overall order target this year — through exports of complete aircraft such as the KF-21. “The KF-21 project began with a feasibility review during President Kim Dae-jung’s administration in 2001, and full-scale development started in December 2015,” a KAI official said. “We expect both domestic adoption of the KF-21 and expanded exports.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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