The KF-21 has not been designed to impress Washington, nor to compete with the F-35 in rank. It has been designed for something simpler and more ambitious at the same time: that South Korea does not depend on anyone when you need a combat plane. The country calls him Boramae, hunter hawk, and wants it to be the axis of his Air defense until 2032. It is not just a new generation hunting: it is a symbol. And everything indicates that it will also be a notice for its neighbors.
When South Korea wanted to access F-35 technologies to integrate them into their future hunt, he ran into a resounding negative. The United States refused to transfer key systems such as Radar AESA, the electrooptic aiming system (EOTS), the IRS and the electronic war radiofrequency disturbance. That episode was decisive. Seoul assumed that, if he wanted to have control, he would have to build from scratch. Thus was born the KF-21. With him, Korea does not break with his western partners, but marks a clear line: there can be no real sovereignty if the most sensitive technology continues to depend on third parties.
The South Korean jump towards autonomy in defense
For Seoul, the KF-21 not only responds to a desire for industrial independence. It also responds to a strategic need. Tensions with North Korea are cyclical, but constant. China continues to rearm. And Japan already works with the United Kingdom and Italy in the GCAP, the future sixth generation hunt that should fly around 2035. South Korea does not want to be left behind. According to DAPA, the agency in charge of the project, the KF-21 will first replace the F-4 and F-5, and then apart from the F-16. Having your own plane is defense, but also positioning.
According to the Government, South Korea became the eighth country to get a supersonic hunt for its own development to carry out a test flight. The first prototype of the KF-21 was presented in April 2021. Three months later, on July 19, 2022, he first took off from the Sacheon base. Since then, the six planned prototypes are already flying and have exceeded milestones such as the first supersonic flight (January 2023) and the first real tests with meteor missiles (May 8, 2024) and Iris-T (May 17, 2024), according to Dapa and Diehl Defense. Deliveries to the Air Force will begin in 2026.
One of the KF-21 keys is what it has inside. The Aesa radar that Equipa is not imported: it has been developed in Korea by Hanwha Systems and the Defense Development Agency. The same goes for much of the plane, mission systems and sensors. The objective, according to Kai, is to reach a rate of 65% nationalization In serial production. The engine may not be yours yet, but what is seen in the cabin and radar is.
Developing KF-21 has not been cheap. According to DAPA figures, the initial development budget was set at 8.8 billion wones, which is equivalent to about 5.4 billion euros. The cast was clear: 60% is contributed by the government, 20% KAI and local industrial partners, and the remaining 20% initially agreed with Indonesia. South Korea has opted for a gradual strategy, with blocking in blocks and a progressive nationalization of components. He does not seek to have everything from day one, but control each phase of the process.
Indonesian participation has been one of the most unstable points of the program. He initially signed to finance 20% of the development, but stopped paying years later. After years of tension, in 2025 a new frame was agreed: its contribution will be 600,000 million wones, about 415 million euros then. The agreement maintains some technological transfer and access to production for the Indonesian Air Force. South Korea will assume the rest. The project advances with or without them, but not without costs.
The engine is today the main external dependence of the KF-21. It uses the F414 of General Electric, the same one that propels the F/A-18 Super Hornet, an assembly under a Hanwha Aerospace license in South Korea. Although that allows some logistics control, the supply is still tied to US authorizations. The South Korean industry already works in its own engine, but it is estimated that it will not be ready before the next decade. Meanwhile, any export plan of the KF-21 will continue to be subject to the ITAR regulations. It is the last piece that Korea still does not control.
The KF-21 has been designed with export in mind. South Korea has already shown that it can sell light fighters such as FA-50. Now he wants to repeat the movement in a higher range. Philippines and Poland are among the possible KF-21 clients, and Egypt appears in the media radar, although without official confirmation. The only real limit is the American seal which still weighs on certain components, at least until there are motor and other components.
Although the program advances according to the calendar, not everything is resolved. The first units that will be delivered from 2026 will only have Air-Aire capabilities. The integration of Armamenta-Tierra weapons is scheduled for 2027, as confirmed by the Acquisition Programs Council. Nor are real operating costs, or their behavior in continued service. The South Korean Air Force will assume that risk in the first person. The KF-21 has demonstrated a lot in a short time, but the definitive test has not yet passed: that of daily use.
It is not yet in service, but the KF-21 has already fulfilled part of its mission: to demonstrate that South Korea does not need to choose between being a client or staying out. It can be manufacturer. And it can be seriously. What comes later – exports, improvements, additional blocks – will depend on the operational result and the international context. But the key step has already occurred. Now it’s time to wait to know the results.
Images | Korea Government/Ministry of Defense (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) | ANSHMAT | CC by 4.0
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