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With a budget of 238.7 billion won (US $178.6 million), the Defence Ministry of South Korea plans to start producing 40 KF-21 Boramae fighter planes in bulk in 2024. According to a statement from the defence minister on December 21, the action is being taken in response to the South Korean Air Force’s ageing fighter fleet, which is steadily retiring and leaving a sizable power vacuum that the KF-21 is anticipated to fill.
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is the manufacturer of the KF-21. The programme was started in 2015 and gained momentum in 2020 when the prototypes were assembled. The first KF-21 deployment is anticipated to occur in the second half of 2026, following the engineering and manufacturing phase, according to a January story by The Korea Times.
The South Korean Air Force hopes to have 120 Boramae fighters overall by 2032, with the KF-21 being intended to replace the ageing F-4 and F-5 squadrons. As the backbone of the Air Force, the aircraft is expected to be essential in developing the three-axis system, a tactical manoeuvre designed to counter possible North Korean strikes.
Notably, the KF-21 is equipped with state-of-the-art precise weapons and advanced electronics, such as active electronically scanned array radars. Several significant events have occurred during the development phase, such as the first flight test of six KF-21s in 2022 and a supersonic test within the first 60 flight tests. After completing at least 300 of the scheduled 2,000 test flights, KAI debuted the aircraft during the October 2023 Seoul ADEX defence conference.
The other prototypes are scheduled to undergo further testing, both on the ground and in the air, until 2028, when Air Force squadrons are expected to start operating the first batch of KF-21s for air-to-air missions.
The Defence Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA), KAI, and Indonesia are providing financial contributions to the KF-21 programme, which was initially estimated to cost 8.8 trillion won. However, since 2017, Indonesia has experienced payment delays. CNN Indonesia stated in January that despite financial difficulties, Indonesia is still dedicated to meeting its financial obligations to the programme. Furthermore, reports indicate that the KF-21 programme has piqued the interest of Poland and the United Arab Emirates.
With the company’s contracts with Poland for 48 FA-50 light attack aircraft in 2022 and an order for 18 FA-50 Block 20 Fighting Eagles from the Royal Malaysian Air Force in December, KAI views the KF-21 as a possible export success. Kim Sang Eung, the company’s regional manager, has already presented the KF-21 to the Philippine Air Force, calling it “the most cost-efficient solution” for nations looking to purchase multirole fighter aircraft.
South Korea, which the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute listed as the ninth-largest arms exporter between 2018 and 2022, named the Philippines, India, and Thailand as its top clients during that time. A final decision on financing schemes is pending, as indicated by the Defence Acquisition Programme Administration’s (DAPA) lack of response to inquiries regarding finance arrangements.