The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said on the 13th that it successfully completed the development flight tests of the Korea Fighter KF-21.
The KF-21 system development program is a core national project to replace the Air Force's retired and aging F-4 and F-5 fighters and to develop, with domestic independent technology, a 4.5-generation fighter suited to future battlefield operating concepts. All flight tests were completed with the verification of the flight performance of the fourth prototype over the skies of the South Sea near Sacheon, South Gyeongsang, on the previous day.
In particular, the KF-21 successfully completed more than 1,600 flight tests over the past 42 months without accidents. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration noted that through more than 13,000 test conditions, it comprehensively verified flight stability and performance. High-difficulty tests were also conducted, including air-to-air weapons firing tests and recovery of control during extreme-attitude flight, all of which received positive evaluations.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration expanded the test airfields from Sacheon to Seosan, South Chungcheong. It also introduced, for the first time in Korea, aerial refueling into the flight tests. As a result, it moved up the development flight test period by two months.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration plans to complete the KF-21's system development in the first half of this year and deliver mass-produced aircraft to the Air Force starting in the second half. Once the KF-21 is deployed, airspace defense capabilities will be further strengthened, and readiness for future air combat will be greatly enhanced.
No Ji-man, head of the Korea Fighter Project Group at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, said, "We will do our best to ensure that additional weapons tests, mass production, and force integration proceed without a hitch."