KF-21 Boramae: South Korea signs first serial production contract for its new fighter aircraft

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) signed the first serial production contract for the KF-21 Boramae.

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The contract, valued at 1.96 trillion won (about $1.4 billion) calls for the production of a total of 20 KF-21 units for the ROKAF (Republic of Korea Air Force), including follow-on logistics support, technical manuals, training for pilots and ground personnel, etc.

The Korean Fighter (KF-X) system development project began in 2015 to engineer a Generation 4.5 fighter aircraft to replace the ROKAF’s aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 fighters, but with the capability to evolve to a fifth-generation weapon system. The total development period is 10 years and 6 months, with system development scheduled for completion in 2026. The plan is to begin supplying the South Korean Air Force with its first KF-21s by the end of 2026.

See also: South Korea’s last operational F-4E Phantom Phantoms showcased in spectacular Elephant Walk

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The first prototype of the KF-21 Boramae made its maiden flight in July 2022 and currently the aircraft fleet consists of six prototypes, which conduct daily performance and systems tests, having achieved, according to KAI, 80% completion of development.

KAI President Kang Gu-young said, «Despite many challenges and difficulties, the KF-21 system development project was able to reach mass production in a stable manner thanks to the strong cooperation of related organizations such as the Government, the Air Force, DAPA and developer companies.»

The KF-21 is destined to become the central pylon of the ROKAF’s combat capability over the next decades, but it is also expected to have a major impact on the international market, as the FA-50 currently has. To this end, KAI will seek to increase its production capacity and plans to develop more advanced variants, such as the electronic attack KF-21 EA (among others) and advance the integration of new weapons and further develop the technology of complex sixth-generation manned and unmanned equipment systems (MUM-T), as part of the Next Air Combat System (NACS), focusing on the scalability of combat assets as a force multiplier.