Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has finally unveiled a project that has been a long time coming: the KF-21 Boramae will have its own Loyal Wingman. Based on an autonomous version of the FA-50 Fighting Eagle light combat aircraft, the South Korean industry will enter the field of mixed and collaborative aerial combat between manned and unmanned aircraft.
KAI released a video in which, among other news, an animation of the KF-21 flying alongside three FA-50 unmanned aircraft is shown. The pursuit of this capability is central to South Korea’s plans: some time ago Jeong Sang-Hwa, vice chief of staff of the RoKAF, said, «It is predicted that the concept of complex manned and unmanned operation will be essential for the sixth-generation fighters that will appear in the future.»
«Unmanned fighters will become a powerful force when operating in a complex manner that not only ensures air superiority faster but also guarantees victory by gaining an advantage in battlefield situational awareness and increasing the survivability of friendly manned fighters,» he concluded.
As reported by Janes, the RoKAF is acquiring more than 140 T-50 Golden Eagle trainers and FA-50 Fighting Eagle light attack aircraft over the next few years and has revealed plans to deploy up to 120 KF-21s by 2032.
