KAI Completes KF-21 Development After 10 Years... Beginning of the Indigenously Developed Fighter Era

Completion of System Development Follows First Mass-Produced Unit in March

From Development to Mass Production: Establishing an Independent System

The Korean fighter jet KF-21 ‘Boramae’ has completed a decade-long system development phase and has now entered full-scale mass production.

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) announced on the 29th that it held the “KF-21 System Development Completion Ceremony” at its headquarters in Sacheon, Gyeongnam, organized by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.

A view of the venue for the 'KF-21 System Development Completion Ceremony' held by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration on the 29th at the headquarters of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in Sacheon, Gyeongnam. KAI

Approximately 300 people attended the event, including Yoo Yong-chul, Commissioner of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, officials from the Ministry of National Defense and the Air Force, representatives from KAI and partner companies, representatives from Indonesia’s Ministry of Defense and PTDI, the international co-development partner, as well as representatives from Lockheed Martin, a technical partner.

Since the launch of system development in 2015, the KF-21 has successfully completed its basic and detailed design, production of prototypes, ground tests, and flight tests, thereby meeting all required performance and safety standards.

In particular, the successful completion of integrated system development—including not only the aircraft system itself but also logistics support (ILS) and training systems—has established an independent, full-cycle capability covering development, production, operation, maintenance, and training.

Following the rollout of the first mass-produced unit in March, the completion of system development marks the transition of the KF-21 program into the mass production and force integration phase, making South Korea the eighth country in the world to develop a supersonic fighter jet and to possess an independent mass production system.

The comprehensive capabilities accumulated during KF-21’s development—including AESA radar, advanced avionics, flight controls, as well as structural design and manufacturing technologies—are expected to serve as key assets for the future of Korea’s air power.

Furthermore, the aerospace industry ecosystem built with over 500 domestic partner companies is contributing to the localization of core technologies, enhancement of partner competitiveness, and the creation of quality jobs.

Yoo Yong-chul, Commissioner of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, stated, “The success of the KF-21 is a momentous achievement made possible by the hard work and dedication of those involved, the engineers who participated in the development, and the unwavering support of the nation who believed in our technological capabilities. Moving forward, we will further promote the excellence of the KF-21 and once again prove Korea’s strength through self-reliant national defense based on technological independence.”

KAI plans to continue upgrading the KF-21’s performance and developing future air power capabilities in line with the government’s vision of becoming one of the world’s top four defense industry powers.

Kim Jongchul, President and CEO of KAI, commented, “The successful system development of the KF-21 is a historic achievement that has demonstrated to the world that Korea can independently develop cutting-edge fighter aircraft. Not only will we ensure successful mass production and stable force integration, but we will also pursue further upgrades such as the integration of domestically developed weapons, performance enhancement, next-generation AI-linked aerial combat systems, and manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) based on the KF-21 platform.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.