KF-21 Boromae fighter fires IRIS-T missile for first time
The Korean fighter currently under development has successfully deployed the short-range, German IRIS-T missile against a target drone.
South Korea’s latest fighter jet, the KF-21 Boromae, which is still under development, has deployed the short-range German IRIS-T missile for the first time this month.
IRIS-T (infra-red imaging system – tail/thrust vector controlled) is an air-to-air guided missile manufactured by Diehl Defence as part of a German-led multinational programme.
This successful demonstration comes after the 34-minute-long maiden flight of Korean Aerospace Industries’ (KAI) fourth KF-21 prototype in February 2023. South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol announced that the Republic of Korea (ROK) Air Force will induct 40 KF-21s by 2028, with plans to put an additional 80 jets into service by 2032.
South Korean defence industries have sought to co-operate with European countries over the past several years, where the companies aim to tap into the flourishing missile market on the continent. GlobalData intelligence projects Europe to gain the largest global missile market revenue share, which amounts to 31.1%, throughout the next decade.
In this backdrop, KAI have already integrated European manufactured missiles prior to Diehl Defence’s increasingly popular IRIS-T.
Toward the end of November 2023, MBDA signed an agreement with KAI to deepen cooperation, citing efforts to integrate the European prime’s Meteor missile with the ROK’s fledgling jet. The agreement will also explore integrating other MBDA munitions such as SPEAR, ASRAAM and Brimstone into KAI platforms KF-21 and FA-50.
