KF-21 completes over 1,600 accident-free test flights in major milestone...First production aircraft to be delivered to Air Force in second half of this year

[Financial News] The Korean-made supersonic fighter KAI KF-21 Boramae has successfully wrapped up a total of more than 1,600 flight tests without a single accident.
According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) on the 13th, the final development flight tests of the KAI KF-21 Boramae were successfully completed the previous day, with the fourth prototype carrying out its final mission to verify flight performance in the skies over the seas off Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province.
Since the rollout ceremony of the first prototype of the KAI KF-21 Boramae on April 9, 2021, over the past 4 years, 9 months, and 3 days up to the previous day, the Ministry of National Defense (MND), the Air Force, the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), and other related organizations have worked in close cooperation to overcome numerous technical challenges.
In addition, during the flight test campaign, the KAI KF-21 Boramae successfully conducted air-to-air weapons launch tests while ensuring maritime safety with the cooperation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), the Navy, and the Korea Coast Guard (KCG). It also carried out high-difficulty tests such as recovering control from extreme flight attitudes, thereby proving its capability to perform real-world missions as a 4.5-generation fighter. It has been 42 months (three years and six months) since the first prototype achieved its maiden flight on July 19, 2022.
In the course of this program, the KAI KF-21 Boramae underwent comprehensive verification of its flight stability and performance through some 13,000 individual test conditions. This indicates a very high level of maturity in both airframe design and software, and is being regarded as an exceptionally rare and outstanding achievement in the history of global fighter development.
DAPA stated, “Once the KAI KF-21 Boramae is deployed in actual service, the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) will field an independently developed, state-of-the-art 4.5-generation fighter, significantly strengthening its air defense capabilities,” adding, “Its ability to prepare for future air combat will also be greatly enhanced.”
Noh Ji-man, head of the Korean Fighter Program Project Group, said, “The KAI KF-21 Boramae is the culmination of our aerospace technology, and we expect it to stand shoulder to shoulder with cutting-edge fighters in the global market and emerge as a new leading player in the international defense industry,” adding, “We will do our utmost to ensure that additional weapons tests, mass production, and force integration proceed without a hitch.”
DAPA plans to complete the system development of the KAI KF-21 Boramae within the first half of this year and begin delivering mass-produced aircraft to the Air Force in the second half.

wangjylee@fnnews.com Lee Jong-yoon Reporter