South Korea on Friday unveiled a prototype of its homegrown fighter jet, the KF-21, two decades after it vowed to develop a next-generation supersonic combat plane using local technology for key components.
The KF-21, nicknamed Boramae and unveiled at the production plant of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang province, will gradually replace the country’s aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 fighters, third-generation US-designed jets introduced in the 1960s.
Once fully operational, the combat plane, dubbed a 4.5-generation jet because of the lack of a stealth function, could also replace Korea's fourth-generation F-16s and F-15Ks.
“A new era of independent defense has begun, and it's a historic milestone in the development of Korea’s aviation industry,” President Moon Jae-in said at the rollout of the KF-21.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the arms procurement agency, said in a statement that the rollout of a prototype is a major step in the development process as it means “we are entering the phase of testing the fighter's capabilities after actually building what before we had only drawn.”