South Korea inducts first locally developed fighter jet into air force

The 4th prototype Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae during its first flight

SINGAPORE — South Korea has inducted its first locally developed fighter jet into service, marking a significant milestone for its domestic defense industry.

The first Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 was handed over to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) Tuesday, flying from the manufacturer’s facilities at Saechon to its new base at Yechon, the service announced Wednesday .

“The KF-21, born after overcoming countless challenges and obstacles, has been delivered to the Air Force today and has begun its flight operations,” said ROKAF Chief of Staff Gen. Son Seok-rak, according to a translation of the announcement.

ROKAF’s 156th Fighter Squadron — which was reestablished earlier this year after disbanding in 2012 — will be the first unit to operate the aircraft, the announcement says.

“The delivery of this first mass-produced unit is a historic milestone in achieving self-reliant national defense; it signifies that the Republic of Korea has proven its independent capability to develop and mass-produce advanced fighter jets and has taken the first step toward full-scale operational deployment,” said the head of South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration Lee Yong-cheol in the announcement.

South Korea has ordered 40 KF-21s in the Block 1 configuration which will be used mainly in the air-to-air role. It is also developing the Block 2 variant which will expand the aircraft’s air-to-ground capabilities with reportedly another 80 Block 2 aircraft being eyed by the ROKAF according to South Korean media reports.

The delivery of the first KF-21 comes after the jet was rolled out at KAI’s Saechon facility in a ceremony in March, with the company having completed its flight test program in January.

The KF-21 is considered a 4.5-generation fighter jet and will be equipped with a mix of indigenous and Western sensors and weapons in service, including the KGGB precision glide bomb and European MBDA Meteor air-to-air missile, according to the announcement.

KAI is also seeking to win export orders for the KF-21; Indonesia is looking to buy the aircraft directly from South Korea, after giving up plans to manufacture it locally .

Further, Malaysia is reportedly evaluating the aircraft, and the Philippines has shown interest in the program as well.

韩国航空航天工业公司（KAI）KF-21“波拉梅”战斗机第四架原型机首飞

新加坡——韩国首架自主研发的战斗机正式服役，这标志着韩国国内国防工业取得了重大里程碑式的成就。

韩国航空航天工业公司（KAI）的首架KF-21战斗机于周二交付给韩国空军（ROKAF），并从位于世川的制造商工厂飞往其位于邱川的新基地。韩国空军于周三宣布了这一消息。

据公告翻译，韩国空军参谋长孙锡洛上将表示：“KF-21战斗机克服了无数挑战和障碍后诞生，今天已交付空军并开始飞行作业。”

公告称，韩国空军第156战斗机中队（该中队于2012年解散，并于今年早些时候重新组建）将成为第一个操作该型飞机的部队。

韩国国防采办计划管理局局长李勇哲在声明中表示：“首架量产型战斗机的交付是实现国防自主化的一个历史性里程碑；这标志着韩国已证明其具备独立研发和量产先进战斗机的能力，并迈出了全面作战部署的第一步。”

韩国已订购40架KF-21战斗机，均为Block 1型，主要用于空对空作战。同时，韩国也在研发Block 2型，该型将提升KF-21的空对地作战能力。据韩国媒体报道，韩国空军另有80架Block 2型KF-21战斗机的采购意向。

首架 KF-21 交付是在 KAI 位于新川的工厂于 3 月份举行仪式推出该型战机之后进行的，该公司于 1 月份完成了该战机的飞行测试计划。

根据公告，KF-21 被认为是 4.5 代战斗机，将配备国产和西方混合的传感器和武器，包括 KGGB 精确滑翔炸弹和欧洲 MBDA 流星空空导弹。

韩国航空航天工业公司（KAI）也在寻求赢得KF-21战斗机的出口订单；印尼放弃了在当地生产该型飞机的计划，转而寻求直接从韩国购买该型飞机。

此外，据报道马来西亚正在评估该款飞机，菲律宾也对该项目表示出了兴趣。