SACHEON, South Korea, July 8 (Yonhap) — A prototype of the homegrown KF-21 fighter under development strutted across its manufacturer’s taxiway in a southern city, as South Korea is looking to conduct its maiden flight late this month.
In Wednesday’s media event, the on-the-ground movement of the fighter was unveiled to reporters at the headquarters of Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. (KAI), the country’s sole aircraft maker, in Sacheon, 437 kilometers south of Seoul.
Co-organized by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the demonstration represented steady progress in South Korea’s 8.8 trillion-won (US$7.9 billion) program launched in 2015 to replace the Air Force’s aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 jets with the new warplane.
The fighter’s first flight test is expected to come late this month, though DAPA has yet to divulge a specific date given that any flight plan is subject to change due to weather conditions.
“The on-ground taxiing is aimed at checking the aircraft’s integrity and operability,” Kim Nam-shin, a senior manager of the KFX Program Division at KAI, said, referring to the jet development scheme, Korean Fighter Experiment.
The gray-colored, 16.9-meter-long aircraft, is the first KF-21 prototype revealed to the public in April last year. A total of six prototypes have so far been produced for testing purposes.
The national flags of South Korea and Indonesia were printed beneath its cockpit to indicate the Southeast Asian nation as a partner in the fighter project. Jakarta has agreed to shoulder 20 percent of the Phase 1 development program worth 8.1 trillion won.
Starting with a 40-minute test flight expected for this month, KAI said the six KF-21 prototypes will conduct a combined 2,000 sorties over western and southern waters through 2026.
South Korea seeks to achieve its “tentative” combat suitability in the latter half of next year and its “final” combat suitability in 2026 — key procedures of the phased development process, officials said.
The mass production is expected to run through 2032.
If fully developed, South Korea will enter an elite club of currently seven countries with locally developed supersonic fighter jets.
The KF-21 employs various high-end technologies, including the active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar that tracks multiple targets with more advanced and efficient components.
It also has an infrared search and track (IRST) system that detects low-flying targets that emit infrared radiation, including anti-ship missiles.
The 4.5-generation fighter will be equipped with air-to-air missiles such as the AIM-2000 by Germany-based Diehl and the Meteor by Britain’s MBDA.
During the second phase of the project from 2026 to 2028, South Korea will prepare air-to-surface combat capabilities of the KF-21, including missiles produced by U.S.-based Raytheon Technologies, Boeing and General Dynamics, as well as local firms such as Hanwha and LIG Nex1, according to officials.
DAPA is currently developing air-launched cruise missiles for the KF-21 as well.
Source: Yonhap News Agency