The prototype of the promising multifunctional fighter KF-21 Boramae generation 4++ performed its first flight, Bloomberg reports, referring to the defense Development Agency of the Ministry of National Defense of South Korea.
The tests of the aircraft were carried out at the Sacheon airport in the city of Jinju in the south-east of the country. The fighter, which Bloomberg considered a cheap competitor to the American F-35 Lightning II, was in the air for half an hour.
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| The KF-21, developed by Korea Aerospace Industries as part of a project worth more than six billion dollars, is designed to replace the aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 fighter jets. |
| Source: Defense Acquisition Program Administration |
In July 2021, the American edition of The Drive admitted that the new Russian light tactical aircraft Su-75 (Checkmate) in the foreign market may face competition from Turkish and South Korean combat aircraft.
A distinctive feature of the KF-21 Boramae will be a radar with an active phased array antenna and the ability to accelerate to a speed of Mach 1.81. The fighter should carry up to 7.7 tons of weapons and have a flight range (without refueling) of up to 2.9 thousand kilometers. Each aircraft will receive a pair of American General Electric F414-GE-400K engines. In South Korea, 65 percent of the components for the KF-21 Boramae will be produced, including avionics, control system and radar. For the first time in the air, the aircraft will rise in 2022. The development of the initial version of the fighter will be completed by 2026. By 2028, the Air Force of the Republic of Korea plans to receive 40 units of the KF-21 Boramae. By 2032, the number of aircraft will reach 120. The cost of the KF-21 Boramae program is $7.9 billion, 20 percent of which falls on Indonesia.
