Weapon separation testing of the KF-21 continues apace. This time, the Boramae fired an AIM-2000 infrared-guided air-to-air missile (IRIS-T) for the first time.
Mid last week, the new South Korean fighter performed the first successful separation test of a mock-up Meteor air-to-air missile. On Block I aircraft, considered the 4.5 generation, the Meteors will be housed in semi-recessed positions under the fuselage. Starting with Block II, the Meteors will be launched from the internal weapons bay of the future Boramae. Along with the Meteor launch, the cannon firing test was conducted, in which DAPA (Defense Acquisition Programs Administration) reported that they fired 100 rounds of 20mm cannon.
And yesterday, the second KF-21 prototype successfully test fired an IRIS-T missile from a under-wing pylon. The information available so far indicates that, as in the case of the F-35 Lightning II, the short-range air-to-air missiles will be suspended on external wing pylons, rather than in internal compartments or bays, which shield them from enemy radar beams.
