South Korea has joined the list of countries capable of producing modern fighters. Flight tests of its first car of this class, the KF–21 Boramae, have begun. In fact, this is just a good car that cannot be compared with either the Su-57 or the F-35. Nevertheless, we are facing a significant event that will have great consequences, including for Russia.
First, about the plane itself. The KF-21 Boramae ("Young Hawk", or "Fighting Hawk", can be translated in different ways) is a twin-engine aircraft with serious constructive measures to reduce visibility in the radar range. It somewhat resembles both the Chinese J-31 and the American F-35. The aircraft does not belong to the fifth generation, this machine is based on the technology of the fourth generation, but with an inconspicuous airframe.
For the creator company - Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) – this is not the first aircraft. This Korean company is the only aircraft manufacturer in the world offering its customers supersonic training aircraft T-50. But making a TCB is one thing, and making a fighter is another. KAI did. Although the tests of the car are just beginning, and it is not yet possible to say for sure whether the Koreans did everything right.
Almost as good as the fifth generation
The fighter has the widest choice of missile weapons, including the most effective types: for example, MBDA Meteor for air combat. All promising Korean missiles should also be registered on the plane. Unlike many Western models, the KF-21 can also carry anti-ship missiles, so far only "Harpoons". The speed of the aircraft is small, 1.81 sonic, it somewhat resembles the F-18 in this regard, and for good reason: the engines of these two cars are two modifications from the same family.
But what exactly promises to be high–class is avionics - it's at the level of the fifth generation here. A radar station with an active phased array antenna, optical sighting systems and equipment for exchanging information with other tactical units are promised here from the very beginning.
Like Russian fighters, the Korean aircraft will be equipped with optoelectronic sighting stations.
In general, if the Koreans do not have gross design errors, then the aircraft will be inferior to fighters with better thrust-to-weight ratio and controlled thrust vector only in maneuverable combat. But opponents with better maneuverability, but worse electronics and weapons still have to live up to it. Initially, it is planned to start producing the aircraft as a fighter for air combat, turning it later into a multi-purpose vehicle capable of both fighting in the air and destroying targets on the ground.
The car may turn out to be really massive and not very expensive. South Korea will produce electronics itself, engines are neither expensive nor scarce. And at this moment it turns out that the significance of this aircraft is not at all in how high its characteristics are.
International cooperation
The creation of this machine started back in 2001, and in 2010, when its first sketches appeared, the project became international. Indonesia has "joined" it. At first glance, this is not particularly important, since Indonesia does not have any significant technologies in aviation. Yes, it does not possess, but according to the results it will possess. And most importantly, South Korea will receive its well-established production, even if not the most "charged", but quite good aircraft.
At the moment, there are the following main manufacturers of fighter aircraft in the world, ready to produce new machines independently: the USA, Russia, France, China, Sweden.
Britain and the rest of Europe can already do something only in consortia, and none of the European countries can create a fighter independently. The British are now trying to "revive" themselves with the Tempest project, but so far they are demonstrating the following: the British can create individual components of a fighter at a level above the global average, but the whole plane is still in no way.
Japan can create its own fighter. But the isolation of this country from the global arms market and the inability to provide its aviation industry with stable orders leads to the fact that the Japanese get very expensive planes. As a result, apart from the Mitsubishi F-2 aircraft developed on the basis of the F-16, they do not have their combat aircraft in service, and it is unclear when they will appear.
India is trying to create its own fighter with the Tejas project – a single-engine aircraft without any outstanding features. This aircraft saw the series only in order to support national developers and aircraft manufacturers, the future outside of India is only possible for it by a miracle, and in India it is delivered to the Air Force forcibly. The assembly of the JF-17 in Pakistan in general can not be considered for production, the Pakistanis simply assemble them from Chinese components.
That's actually all, until recently. Now the club includes South Korea with its gigantic industrial capabilities and an aircraft that, if it were designed without errors, would be exactly better in combat than the F-16 in most modifications, the F-18, Su-30 in any form, the MiG-29 and any old American or Soviet aircraft, not to mention already about different exotics.
And Indonesia, which previously only assembled old European transport vehicles and tried to start work in the field of drones, will have access to this technology – Indonesian engineers have been working on this project in South Korea for a long time. And this is the trend that can change everything in the future.
In the arms market
Most countries in the world do not need super-fighters like the Su-35 or F-22. We need what is commonly called a "workhorse", a simple and uncomplicated aircraft that could solve both the tasks of combating enemy aircraft and perform strike tasks. Preferably cheaper.
South Korea has just started testing such an aircraft. And the KF-21, unlike the Indian Tejas, promises to be successful in the market too. And this means that countries offering their ultra-expensive cars will have to make room.
In fact, the process of mastering military technologies by the former "third world" began a long time ago. Forecasts that the global arms market will "dry up" have been heard since the 1990s. Since then, the same Turkey has appeared in the segment of drones and missiles. South Korea exports artillery and armored vehicles. In general, those countries that previously only bought weapons can now produce a significant part of it themselves.
But such a market as combat aviation has long been divided among the most developed countries. Now the situation is changing. In a segment previously dominated by such "old" manufacturers of combat aircraft listed above, new players are emerging with their own price-performance ratio.
The South Korean fighter is a sign that "new" manufacturers are able to enter the most high–tech segment of military production. Just as almost any country can produce small arms today, the KF-21 shows that soon countries that previously bought foreign aircraft will make their own. The same Indonesia provides itself with transport aircraft, and now it will receive dozens of engineers who know how to make a fighter.
The open market of components, such as engines and radar stations, will lead to the fact that new manufacturers will need very little to create "from scratch" – everything that is put into the airframe can simply be bought. And only then, having made the aircraft from purchased components, it will be possible to recycle it for something else if the old components are unavailable (for example, due to sanctions). The main thing is to do it the first time, then it will be much easier. Koreans have just overcome this barrier – and many others are already on the way.
What conclusion should be drawn from this in our country? The conclusion is simple. The market for combat aviation will shrink, aviation technologies have already begun to spread around the world, and this phenomenon will increase. In the future, more and more countries will be able to provide themselves with aircraft of their own production. It won't happen tomorrow, but it will happen inevitably. It is necessary to take this fact into account when analyzing any market prospects and prepare to make such offers to the buyer that the "average hand" manufacturer simply cannot do.
Alexander Timokhin
