The Korean fighter KF-21 received a combat suitability rating on the 7th. It cleared the final hurdle about 10 years and 5 months after system development began.
According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the rating comes about three years after a provisional combat suitability rating in May 2023, meaning the KF-21 has completed verification of all capabilities, including basic performance and air-to-air capability. Starting with its first test evaluation in May 2021, the KF-21 underwent ground tests for more than five years to verify durability and structural integrity. In more than 1,600 flight tests, it also verified more than 13,000 flight test conditions, including aerial refueling and weapons-firing tests.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration assessed that the KF-21 meets the Air Force's required operational capability (ROC) and has secured the technical level and safety to carry out missions in real battlefield conditions. With all verification procedures completed, the KF-21 system development program, which began in 2015, is slated to end in June. The first mass-produced KF-21 is scheduled to be delivered to the Air Force in the second half of this year, followed by sequential deployment. Additional tests will also secure air-to-ground armaments.
Noh Ji-man, head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration's Korean Fighter Project Group, said this is "a symbolic achievement showing that the Republic of Korea has fully secured an independent fighter development capability," and added, "We will proceed without a hitch with mass production and force integration to further strengthen the Air Force's operational capability."