S. Korea’s KF-21 Fighter Gets ‘Provisional’ Combat Suitability Evaluation

A prototype of the KF-21 fighter jet under development bearing the flags of South Korea and Indonesia moves out of a hangar at the headquarters of Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. in Sacheon, 437 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 9, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, May 16 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s homegrown KF-21 fighter jet passed a provisional combat suitability evaluation earlier this week, the state arms procurement agency said Tuesday, in a key milestone ahead of its initial production phase set to begin next year.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said the evaluation by the Joint Chiefs of Staff came Monday, based on the outcome of hundreds of flight and ground tests on the jet that have proceeded for some two years.

The “provisional” evaluation scheme has been introduced to allow weapons developers to secure mass-production budgets even before prototypes meet all combat requirements in an effort to accelerate the overall production process.

“This evaluation has laid the foundation, upon which we can proceed with the initial mass-production plan next year,” DAPA said in a press release.

Since the rollout of the first KF-21 prototype in April 2021, the authorities have conducted various tests, including around 200 flight tests, to check some 260 testing items, including the flight speed, combat operational range, and takeoff and landing distances.

In yet another milestone Tuesday, the fifth KF-21 prototype successfully conducted its maiden flight, according to DAPA.

It took off from the Air Force’s 3rd Flying Training Wing in Sacheon, about 300 kilometers south of Seoul, at 2:19 p.m. and flew over the waters off the country’s south coast for 45 minutes.

A total of six prototypes are set to undergo a combined number of 2,200 flight tests through 2026. The first deployment of the KF-21 fighter is planned to take place in the latter half of 2026.

The first, second, third and fifth prototypes are single-seaters, while the fourth and sixth ones are double-seaters. Five of the six prototypes have succeeded in their first flights, while the first flight of the sixth one is slated for next month.

Launched in 2015, the 8.8 trillion-won (US$6.59 billion) KF-21 project is aimed at developing a supersonic fighter to replace South Korea’s aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 jets.

(Yonhap)