Lee Jong-seop "KF-21 Plays a Major Role in Deterring North Korean Nuclear Threat"... Flight Success Celebration Ceremony

Foreign Dignitaries Including Indonesian Deputy Defense Minister Attend... Test Flights of Units 2 to 6 to Begin Next Month

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] A ceremony was held to celebrate the successful first flight of the domestically produced supersonic fighter jet 'Boramae' KF-21.

On the 28th, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) held a celebration event for the successful first flight of the KF-21 at the Air Force 3rd Training Flight Group in Sacheon, Gyeongnam, commemorating the KF-21's first takeoff two months ago.

The KF-21 prototype No. 1 successfully completed its historic first flight on July 19. At that time, since the outcome of the initial flight was uncertain, the focus was solely on the flight itself without any separate event.

The event was attended by Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop, DAPA Administrator Eom Dong-hwan, Air Force Chief of Staff Jung Sang-hwa, National Assembly Defense Committee Chairman Lee Heon-seung, and Kang Gu-young, President of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the manufacturer of the KF-21. Notably, Indonesia, a co-developer of the KF-21, sent a government delegation including Deputy Defense Minister Muhammad Herindra, expressing their continued commitment to joint development.

Minister Lee said, "I thank KAI, DAPA, the Air Force, partner companies, academia, and research institutes who have dedicated themselves to the development of the KF-21 over the past 20 years." He added, "The KF-21 will be a key player in defending airspace dominating future battlefields and will play a significant role in deterring the North Korean nuclear threat." Lieutenant Colonel An Jun-hyun (retired), who piloted the first flight, is scheduled to fly the KF-21 again in front of about 400 guests, accompanied by the domestically produced light attack aircraft FA-50.

The KF-21 has currently completed initial structural integrity tests using prototype No. 1, and expansion tests are underway. Prototypes No. 2 through No. 6 will be sequentially introduced into flight tests starting next month, with plans to verify performance, weapon compatibility, and military operational suitability in stages. The KF-21 is expected to complete system development after approximately 2,000 flight tests by 2026 and will enter mass production and be operationalized by 2032. It will be the first in Asia to be equipped with the Meteor missile, regarded as the world's most advanced air-to-air missile, and will utilize domestically produced advanced equipment such as AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar.