First Mass-Produced Domestic Fighter Jet 'KF-21' Delivered to Air Force... Landmark Achievement 25 Years After Development Announcement

Officially Received at KAI Sacheon Plant and Deployed to Yecheon Base
Sequential Introduction of Over 100 Units by Early 2030s

The first mass-produced unit of the domestically developed KF-21 "Boramae" multipurpose fighter jet has been officially delivered to the Air Force.

The first KF-21 unit was formally registered as an Air Force asset on September 22, following the signing of the takeover and delivery documents by the KF-21's inaugural pilot, Major Han Jae-seok, at the handover ceremony held at the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) Sacheon plant. After circling the skies over Sacheon, the aircraft arrived at its initial operational base, Yechon Air Base (under the 156th Fighter Squadron of the 16th Fighter Wing), escorted by a celebratory formation consisting of Korean-made FA-50, TA-50, and T-50 aircraft.

On May 13th, the prototype of the domestically produced supersonic fighter jet KF-21 is seen taking off vigorously at the Air Force 3rd Training Flight Group in Sacheon, Gyeongnam. 2026.05.13. Photo by Joint Press Corps

The delivery of this first unit marks a milestone that comes 25 years and 6 months after the domestic fighter development plan was announced in March 2001, and about 10 years and 9 months since the start of the full-scale development phase in December 2015. The KF-21 is a 4.5-generation Korea-type multipurpose fighter jet developed to replace the aging F-4 and F-5 fleet. Fourth-and-a-half generation fighter jets are advanced aircraft—built on the framework of fourth-generation fighters but enhanced with state-of-the-art avionics such as stealth technology and Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, offering combat capabilities comparable to fifth-generation stealth fighters, while maintaining operational cost-efficiency.

Since the rollout of the prototype in April 2021, the KF-21 underwent approximately 1,600 flight tests and has passed performance verifications across more than 13,000 conditions. The jet successfully completed aerial refueling and air-to-air weapons firing trials, earning a "combat suitability" assessment in May this year. The 156th Fighter Squadron, which previously operated the F-4E Phantom and had been disbanded, was re-established in June this year after 14 years, specifically to operate the KF-21.

The Air Force plans to officially declare the operational deployment of the KF-21 in the second half of next year and to integrate it into real combat operations. It aims to sequentially acquire more than 100 KF-21 jets by the early 2030s, establishing the aircraft as a core force for airspace defense over the Korean Peninsula.

General Son Seokrak, Air Force Chief of Staff, stated, "All service members who will operate the KF-21 should take great pride and embrace the tremendous responsibility that comes with piloting Korea's premier fighter jet. I urge everyone to unite efforts to ensure the KF-21 quickly establishes itself as 'the ultimate strength defending the Republic of Korea.'"

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