S. Korea's homegrown KF-21 fighter makes 1st sortie to mark delivery to Air Force

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SEOUL, Sept. 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's indigenous KF-21 fighter jet made its maiden flight Tuesday as part of an official ceremony marking its delivery to the Air Force, the armed service and arms procurement agency said.

The first mass-produced KF-21 Boramae took to the skies from the Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. manufacturing plant in Sacheon, about 300 kilometers south of Seoul, heading north to an Air Force unit in Yecheon, roughly 165 km away, the Air Force and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said in a joint release.

An FA-50 light attack aircraft, a TA-50 fighter trainer and a T-50 Golden Eagle jet trainer flew in formation alongside the KF-21 to mark its arrival.

The handover to the Air Force marks a milestone in the country's decadeslong efforts to develop an indigenous fighter dating back to as early as 2001, when then President Kim Dae-jung declared the initiative.

Following years of budget delays and feasibility reviews, South Korea launched the project in December 2015, in partnership with Indonesia, to develop an advanced supersonic aircraft and replace now-retired F-4 fighters and aging F-5 jets. Boramae means a "young hawk" in Korean.

Tuesday's delivery came about two years after the jet entered into mass production in June 2024.

This photo released by the Air Force on Sept. 22, 2026, shows South Korea's homegrown KF-21 fighter jet. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

"Overcoming numerous trials and hardships, the KF-21 was handed over to the Air Force today and commenced flight operations. Up until yesterday was the time for the Boramae project's policymakers and developers. From today onward, it is the Air Force's time," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Son Sug-rag said.

"I call upon every service member operating the KF-21 to take immense pride and responsibility in managing our nation's premier fighter jet, uniting to ensure the KF-21 rapidly establishes itself as the ultimate shield defending the Republic of Korea," he said.

Since KAI rolled out the first KF-21 prototype in April 2021, the fighter jet has undergone rigorous testing, earning combat compatibility certification in May before completing systems development in June.

To field the new jet, the Air Force reactivated the 156th Fighter Squadron in June, about 14 years after the former F-4E Phantom unit was deactivated.

The Air Force plans to field more than 100 KF-21 jets in phases by early 2030.

KAI said earlier it will manufacture 40 KF-21s focused on air-to-air capabilities for delivery to the Air Force by 2028 before producing 80 additional jets equipped with long-range air-to-ground missiles by 2032.

This photo released by the Air Force on Sept. 22, 2026, shows South Korea's homegrown KF-21 fighter jet landing at an Air Force unit in Yecheon, around 165 kilometers south of Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

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S. Korea's homegrown KF-21 fighter makes 1st sortie to mark delivery to Air Force

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

首尔，9月22日（韩联社）——韩国武装部队和武器采购机构表示，韩国国产KF-21战斗机周二进行了首飞，这是该机交付给韩国空军的正式仪式的一部分。

韩国空军和国防采办计划管理局（DAPA）在一份联合声明中表示，首架量产型 KF-21 宝拉美战斗机从位于首尔以南约 300 公里的泗川韩国航空航天工业有限公司制造厂起飞，向北飞往约 165 公里外的邺川空军部队。

一架 FA-50 轻型攻击机、一架 TA-50 战斗教练机和一架 T-50 金鹰喷气教练机与 KF-21 战斗机编队飞行，以示欢迎。

向空军交付这架战斗机标志着该国数十年来研发国产战斗机的努力取得了里程碑式的进展。早在 2001 年，时任总统金大中就宣布了这项计划。

经过多年的预算延误和可行性评估，韩国于2015年12月与印度尼西亚合作启动了该项目，旨在研发一种先进的超音速飞机，以取代现已退役的F-4战斗机和老旧的F-5战机。“Boramae”在韩语中意为“年轻的鹰”。

周二的交付距离该机型于 2024 年 6 月开始批量生产大约两年。

这张由韩国空军于2026年9月22日发布的照片​​展示了韩国国产KF-21战斗机。（照片禁止出售）（韩联社）

“经过无数次考验和困难，KF-21今天正式交付空军并开始飞行作业。昨天还是‘波拉梅’项目决策者和开发人员的时代，从今天起，就轮到空军了。”空军参谋长孙秀乐上将说道。

“我呼吁每一位操作 KF-21 的军人，对管理我们国家最优秀的战斗机感到无比自豪和责任重大，团结一致，确保 KF-21 迅速成为保卫大韩民国的终极盾牌，”他说。

自韩国航空航天工业公司 (KAI) 于 2021 年 4 月推出首架 KF-21 原型机以来，该战斗机经历了严格的测试，于 5 月获得作战兼容性认证，并于 6 月完成系统开发。

为了部署这款新型喷气式飞机，空军于 6 月重新启用了第 156 战斗机中队，距离该中队从之前的 F-4E 鬼怪战斗机部队解散已经过去了大约 14 年。

美国空军计划到 2030 年初分阶段部署 100 多架 KF-21 战斗机。

KAI 此前表示，将在 2028 年前生产 40 架 KF-21 战斗机，重点发展空对空作战能力，并交付给美国空军；之后将在 2032 年前生产 80 架配备远程空对地导弹的战斗机。

这张由韩国空军于2026年9月22日发布的照片​​显示，韩国国产KF-21战斗机降落在位于首尔以南约165公里的邺川空军基地。（照片禁止出售）（韩联社）

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韩国国产KF-21战斗机首飞，标志着该机正式交付空军