KF-21 Boramae Nears Delivery as S. Korea Wraps Up Flight Tests
South Korea has finalized all flight tests of its future KF-21 Boramae combat aircraft, paving the way for shipment of the domestically developed jet to the Republic of Korea Air Force.
Seoul’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said the final test flight took place in mid-January over the Namhae Sea in Sacheon, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, using the aircraft’s fourth prototype.
According to the agency, the overall development logged about 1,600 sorties over 42 months without a single accident, validating more than 13,000 test benchmarks.
Results confirmed the aircraft’s flight performance and operational functions for service as the East Asian country’s next-generation fighter plane.
Officials added that expanding test locations and incorporating air-to-air refueling allowed the program to finish flight testing about two months ahead of schedule.
Korea Aerospace Industries leads the KF-21 program in cooperation with the Agency for Defense Development, participation from 225 domestic firms, and more than 10 government-funded research institutes, according to local media.
Transfers This Year
South Korea introduced the KF-21 program in 2015 after decades of preliminary studies aimed at replacing its aging fleet of US-made F-4 and F-5 aircraft.
The first Boramae prototype rolled out in April 2021 and made its maiden flight in July 2022, while the first production aircraft entered final assembly last year.
DAPA said it plans to complete system development in the first half of 2026 and begin delivering mass-produced jets in the second half.
“The KF-21 is the culmination of our aviation technology, and we expect it to stand shoulder to shoulder with cutting-edge fighters in the global market and play a leading role in the global defense industry,” DAPA KF-21 Program Head Noh Ji-man commented on the latest milestone.
“DAPA will do its utmost to ensure that additional weapons testing, mass production, and operational integration proceed without a hitch.”
