Development of the 5th generation South Korean fighter: problems and achievementsKF-21 Boramae is a South Korean program for the development of an advanced multi–purpose fighter of the 4++ generation for the Republic of Korea Air Force and the Indonesian Air Force.
This is South Korea's second fighter development program after the KAI T-50 Golden Eagle. In modern conditions, the KF-21 has become one of the most ambitious projects for the military-industrial complex of South Korea, since this Asian country previously had no experience of such high-tech developments.
As of the beginning of 2023, South Korean engineers have not only been able to develop a multifunctional fighter of the 4++ generation, but also plan to equip it with some elements of fifth-generation fighters.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE KF-X PROJECTThe program to create its own multifunctional fighter appeared in South Korea in 2001.
The project was quite ambitious, at the first stage it was even talked about creating a full-fledged combat fighter of the 5th generation. But gradually it transformed into a 4++ model, so the Koreans themselves classify the fighter.
The country's leading aircraft manufacturer Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and the Defense Development Agency Agency for Defense Development (ADD) of the Ministry of Defense of South Korea are responsible for the development of the new aircraft.
The practical implementation of the program for the creation of a new fighter began no earlier than 2010. In December 2015, KAI received a contract for the full-scale development of the fighter, known at that time under the designation KF-X. The contract concluded in 2015 provided for the construction of six experimental flight prototypes and two samples for ground testing. Since 2015, the work on the creation of a new fighter has achieved the greatest degree of productivity.
At the same time, it is important to understand that the United States provides direct support to South Korea in the process of creating its own multifunctional fighter. The leading American aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin has transferred to the Republic of Korea more than 20 technologies that were used in the creation of the American multifunctional fighter of the 5th generation F-35A, which is a conventional takeoff and landing fighter (CTOL - conventional takeoff and landing) for the US Air Force.
At the same time, the Korean KF-X fighter, with its appearance and aerodynamic scheme, very much resembles another development, in the creation of which Lockheed Martin participated, is the world's first serial fighter of the 5th generation F-22A Raptor. The Korean fighter is slightly smaller. However, it is also a single-seat twin-engine fighter with a spaced double keel and the possibility of placing weapons in internal compartments.
The final technical appearance of the promising fighter was approved only in September 2019, after which the construction process of the head prototype began at the aviation plant in the South Korean city of Sacheon.
The total cost of the entire program was the largest in the history of South Korean military research and development (R&D). The cost of the project to create its own multifunctional fighter is estimated at 18.6 trillion won (approximately $ 16.6 billion), of which 8.6 trillion won (approximately $7.7 billion) went directly to R&D. The rest of the money was planned to be spent on the construction of serial samples of the fighter.
The main goal of the KF-21 Boramae fighter program was to create a 4++ generation aircraft that can be built in a mass batch and will surpass the KF-16 fighter in its combat capabilities (the Korean version of the American F-16).
In accordance with the plans of the state and military leadership of South Korea in the Air Force, the Hawk will have to replace the numerous and still in service, but morally and physically obsolete F-4 Phantom II and F-5 Freedom Fighter / Tiger II fighters, the modernization of which is becoming less economically justified.
TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICSThe new South Korean fighter will have a sufficiently high combat potential.
The machine will receive many of the capabilities of the 5th generation fighters. According to the ADD agency, the KF-21 Boramae is a multifunctional fighter of the 4++ generation. The model also implements some elements of the technology to reduce the visibility of "stealth" in every possible way. Largely thanks to the technical assistance provided by American specialists.
One of the goals of the program to create a new multifunctional fighter KF-21 Boramae was to create a combat vehicle that would surpass the Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale fighters in terms of stealth. Most likely, these indicators will be achieved in practice. At the same time, the South Korean fighter will be objectively inferior in terms of tactical and technical characteristics of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
To combat enemy aircraft, the fighter will be able to use guided missiles Meteor, IRIS-T and AIM-120. The latest versions of the American AIM-120 medium-range guided missile are able to hit targets at a distance of up to 180 km. The main striking means of the aircraft for actions against ground targets should be the TAURUS KEPD missile with a claimed range of more than 500 km.
So far, we can reasonably talk only about the single-seat version of the fighter. At the same time, the appearance of a two-seat version in combat training is not excluded. The length of the KF-21 Boramae is 16.9 m, the wingspan is 11.2 m, the height of the aircraft is 4.7 m. The claimed maximum take-off weight is 25.4 tons (this is about 10 tons less than the Su-35, and 5 tons less than the F-35A). The maximum flight speed should be Mach 1.9 (approximately 2300 km/h). The flight range is up to 2.9 thousand km.
According to available data, the localization of the aircraft is already reaching 60-65%. At the same time, South Korea plans to improve this indicator in the future. Most of the most important aircraft systems have already been developed and manufactured by the Republic of Korea. In particular, the radar station (radar) with an active phased array antenna for the KF-21 Boramae was created by the Korean company Hanwha Systems.
presentationOn April 9, 2021, an official presentation of a fully completed flight model of a new fighter of national design was held in Sacheon.
The multifunctional fighter was demonstrated at the headquarters of the South Korean aircraft corporation KAI. The promising project was previously known to the general public under the designation KF-X. As part of the presentation, the official designation of the new KF-21 Boramae fighter was revealed (this is how Koreans call young hawks used in falconry).
Indonesia, along with South Korea, will be the first customers of the new fighter. The Indonesian military expects to receive at least two dozen vehicles, the South Korean Air Force – about 140 units. At the same time, the fighter will definitely have an export potential, which is also expected in Seoul. A number of military experts believe that the UAE and Turkey can become buyers of a promising South Korean fighter.
FLIGHT TESTSTo date, developers from the KAI Aircraft Corporation are at the stage of flight tests, which involve three prototypes.
The KF-21 Boramae fighter, which made its first flight at the end of July 2022, reached supersonic speed for the first time during a test flight on January 17, 2023. As stated in the administration of DAPA, the achievement of supersonic speed by the prototype means the completion of one of the key stages of testing. However, it is planned to complete the tests by February 2026, a total of six prototypes will be involved in them.
The first flight with supersonic speed, like all previous tests of the fighter, took place at the KAI Corporation factory airfield in Sacheon. The first prototype of the fighter, which took to the sky, spent 56 minutes in the air, reaching a speed of Mach 1, or 1224 km / h at an altitude of 12 thousand meters.
the prospectsIn part, the mass nature of the state order may explain the reluctance of South Korean engineers at this stage to create a fighter of the 5th generation.
The KF-21 Boramae turns out to be relatively less expensive, which is very important for a serious renewal of the Air Force fleet. In total, the South Korean military expects to receive 40 fighters by 2028, and by 2032 their fleet should be at least 120 units.
The American F-35 has so far been selected as the 5th generation fighter for the Republic of Korea Air Force. It is planned to purchase at least 80 units of these vehicles, including 20 in the deck version to equip the first Korean light aircraft carrier. The purchase contracts were concluded in 2014 and 2020.
The main task of KAI Corporation for the coming years is to conduct tests and fine-tuning the design of the newest KF-21. Then new prototypes are expected to appear, which will also be involved in the tests. This stage of the program will last until the middle of the decade. In 2026, the customer and the developer of the project plan to launch mass production and quickly reach high rates.
CONCLUSIONS AND GENERALIZATIONSSouth Korea did not have serious experience in developing modern fighters, but managed to launch its own project.
Partly independently, partly with the help of foreign colleagues, KAI carried out the necessary research work, created a project and has already built the first prototype aircraft.
There is no doubt that industrially developed South Korea, with the help of the United States, will be able to create a fighter with good flight performance and combat characteristics. At the same time, the main claim to this project throughout its existence is the price of development. However, with a favorable development of events, wide localization of production and release in large batches, it may be possible to reduce the cost of the aircraft.
In this case, the car will definitely be able to compete with the Russian Su-30 and Su-35 fighters in the Asia-Pacific region. Especially if the purchase of Russian fighters will be associated with the threat of possible sanctions from the United States.
Thus, over the past few years, the South Korean aviation industry has shown a fundamental ability to develop a modern combat aircraft and build prototypes. Now she has to determine how successful the project turned out and whether it meets the customer's requirements.
Vasily IvanovVasily Ivanovich Ivanov is a journalist.
