A KF-21 Boramae prototype in flight over South Korea in 2023. The Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) received the first regular series production model of the KF-21 this week. (Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense)

South Korea Just Finished Its First Domestically-Built KF-21 Fighter

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Future variants of the KF-21 Boramae are expected to incorporate stealth technology—although the aircraft is not a true “stealth plane,” as it lacks internal weapons bays.

South Korea’s efforts to develop a robust aerospace and defense industry reached another milestone this week, as it accepted delivery of the first production KF-21 Boramae fighter jet. The aircraft flew from the Korea Aerospace Industries’ (KAI’s) facility in Sacheon to an Air Force unit at Yecheon on Tuesday. It was accompanied by an FA-50 light combat fighter and TA-50 and T-50 trainers—highlighting the growth of South Korea’s aerospace sector.

KAI began developing the fighter in 2015, initially with Indonesia as a partner. Its goal was to develop an advanced supersonic multirole aircraft to replace South Korea’s legacy F-4 Phantoms and aging F-5 Tiger fighters. KAI completed the first prototype KF-21 Boramae (“Young Hawk” in Korean) in April 2021, and conducted its maiden flight on July 19, 2022. Two years later, in June 2024, KAI began assembly on the first production Boramae, and secured initial type certification this........

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