KF-21 Fighter Jet Achieves Combat Readiness: What This Means for South Korea’s Defense

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[Anchor] South Korea’s homegrown supersonic fighter, the KF-21 Boramae, has completed extensive performance evaluations and received a final “fit for combat” designation. The KF-21 system development program, which began in December 2015, is set to conclude next month. The first production jet, rolled out in March, is scheduled for handover to the Air Force in the second half of this year. Reporter Ji Seong-rim. [Reporter] The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said the KF-21 cleared the final milestone in system development by earning a formal “fit for combat” rating. After receiving a provisional “fit for combat” designation in May 2023, the program conducted three years of follow-on testing to verify all performance areas. With that verification complete, DAPA plans to close the system development phase next month and transition the program into full-rate production and force integration. The first production aircraft, rolled out in March, is slated for delivery to the Republic of Korea Air Force later this year, with additional aircraft to be fielded in sequence. 「Lee Jae-myung / President」 With KF-21 mass production, South Korea will finally possess domestically developed weapons that can defend peace on land, at sea and now in the air… DAPA’s original plan called for delivering an initial batch of 40 KF-21s focused on air-to-air capabilities to the Air Force by 2028, followed by a follow-on batch of 80 aircraft equipped for air-to-ground and anti-ship missions by 2032. But analysts say constrained defense budgets and competing modernization priorities could push back the KF-21’s operational rollout. 「Shin Chung-jin / DAPA Public Affairs Chief」 Shin Chung-jin said DAPA is advancing the program while carefully weighing limited funding and other constraints. The KF-21 effort traces back to President Kim Dae-jung’s 2001 announcement to pursue a domestically developed advanced fighter. System development formally began in December 2015. Since the first flight tests in May 2021, teams conducted a variety of ground tests through February of this year to validate durability and structural integrity. They also completed about 1,600 flight tests to confirm flight performance and safety across about 13,000 test conditions, including aerial refueling and weapons release. This is Ji Seong-rim of Yonhap News TV. [Video reporting: Jeong Jae-hyun] [Video editing: Ham Seong-woong] [News review] For Yonhap News TV story tips and inquiries: KakaoTalk/LINE jebo23. Ji Seong-rim (yoonik@yna.co.kr)