TSAMTO, March 26th. Representative of the Defense Procurement Program Agency (DAPA) The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Korea announced plans to conclude a contract this year for the supply of 20 KF-21 Borame fighters to the country's Air Force (previously designated KF-X), which is significantly lower than the previously planned purchase of 40 aircraft.
According to representatives of DAPA, the Committee for the Promotion of Defense Projects made such a decision as part of the approved plan for the production of aircraft with a total cost of 7.92 trillion. won ($5.91 billion).
In accordance with the plan for the period up to 2028, this year DAPA will sign a contract with the manufacturer Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) for the supply of only 20 fighters, and following the results of their military tests next year it will conclude another deal for 20 units.
The purpose of the decision on the phased production of aircraft is to eliminate the problems that arose last year when developing a feasibility study for the purchase.
The representative of DAPA noted the agency's commitment to the timely adoption of the fighter into service. If the project goes according to plan, it is expected that the Air Force will receive the first KF-21 in the second half of 2026. Eventually, a total of 120 KF-21s are expected to be put into service, producing another 80 units by 2032.
At the same time, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Korea also approved a project worth 3.89 trillion won, providing for the modernization of Boeing's F-15K fighters in service. The project will last until 2034.
In addition, the Defense Projects Promotion Committee approved a program worth 680 billion won, providing for the creation of a new ship-based missile by the Defense Development Agency by 2036.
As reported by TSAMTO, KAI began developing a national twin-engine multi-purpose combat aircraft in December 2015. The KF-21 should replace the fleet of obsolete F-4 and F-5. The assembly of the first prototypes began in 2020. The first prototype performed its first flight on July 19, 2022.
The KF-X development program provides for the construction of six prototypes, which will be tested over four years. Earlier, in March, Prototype No. 5 successfully passed an in-flight refueling test. Before the program moves to the mass production stage, these aircraft must make 2,200 sorties. As of the end of 2023, more than 300 flights have been completed. The development is expected to be completed by mid-2026.
Production of production aircraft is planned for 2026-2032. According to the plans, the first production aircraft will receive a limited set of weapons, and fighters produced starting from 2029 will be able to be equipped with a full range of air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles. As part of the agreements signed last year with the European MBDA, in particular, it is planned to arm the aircraft with Meteor air-to-air missiles. In April 2023, the German company Diehl Defense announced that the KF-21 successfully launched an IRIS-T air-to-air missile.
The development of the aircraft will allow the Republic of Korea to become the eighth country to independently create a supersonic fighter. From 2028, KAI plans to start exporting the aircraft.