[Exclusive] Korea to Jointly Develop '6th Generation Fighter Jet' with Saudi Arabia [Yang Nakgyu's Defence Club]

Proposal for Korean Fighter Jet KF-21 Based Project
Saudi Arabia Responds Positively... Full Discussions Scheduled for This Week

Our government is promoting the joint development of a 6th-generation fighter jet with Saudi Arabia, equipped with stealth capabilities beyond artificial intelligence and a combination of manned and unmanned functions. The plan is to base this on the Korean fighter jet KF-21 (4.5 generation), and if successful, it is expected to hold a significant share in the global aviation export market.

KF-21 and the unmanned aerial vehicle 'Gaori' conducting a composite formation operation. (Photo by Defense Acquisition Program Administration)

According to a Ministry of National Defense official on the 30th, senior officials from the Ministry of National Defense and the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) made a secret visit to Saudi Arabia from the 23rd to the 26th. They met with officials including Khaled bin Hussein Al-Biyari, Saudi Deputy Minister of Defense for Political Affairs, and discussed the joint development of the 6th-generation fighter jet.

Saudi Arabia has so far been unable to find a partner for the joint development of the 6th-generation fighter jet. The United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan signed the “Global Combat Air Program (GCAP)” treaty last month to jointly develop a 6th-generation fighter jet. GCAP plans to deploy a fighter jet with greatly enhanced supersonic performance and radar detection capabilities by 2035. Saudi Arabia has expressed its desire to participate in GCAP several times. In July last year, Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud of Saudi Arabia met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to convey this intention. However, Japan reportedly opposed the idea, citing that much of the work had already been completed and the schedule to complete the project by 2035 was tight. In Europe, under Germany’s leadership, France and Spain are already developing the 6th-generation fighter jet “Future Combat Air System (FCAS),” with the first test flight scheduled for 2029.

Our government presented the concept plan for the 6th-generation fighter jet to Saudi Arabia, emphasizing that the development period could be significantly shortened based on the KF-21. Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) plans to develop a 5th-generation stealth fighter through the Block-3 phase performance upgrade and create a 6th-generation manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) system. Using Korean Air’s Gaoli-X1, the plan also includes ‘unmanned swarm aircraft’ and ‘stealth unmanned reconnaissance aircraft,’ as well as the development of core technologies for next-generation air combat systems based on artificial intelligence (AI).

A government official said, “Due to Saudi Arabia’s positive response, additional consultations are planned within this week. Cooperation is expected to be concretized soon.”