South Korea successfully concluded the first flight of the KF-21 Boramae, its first indigenous 4.5th generation fighter jet, on Wednesday (19 July). The aircraft took off from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) facility at Sacheon airbase at 3:40 p.m. and returned there at 4:13 p.m for a total flight time of 33 minutes.
Flown by Major Ahn Jun-hyun, an officer of the Republic Of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) and KAI test pilot, Images and videos of its first flight showed the aircraft carrying four Meteor air-to-air missile mock-ups in the semi-recessed, under-belly mount points. According to a DAPA official, this was done to gauge the basic flight performance since the prototype has no special avionics and weapon control systems installed onboard.
The first KF-21 prototype will be followed by five others to conduct various flight and electronic tests, as well as weapon integration and testing until 2026. It is expected that the aircraft will enter mass production shortly after.
The first flight marked another milestone for the project which took almost seven years and cost US$6.67 billion to develop of which 18.8% of its development cost is shared by Indonesia. South Korea is planning to build 120 KF-21 for the ROKAF while Indonesia is said to acquire up to 50 of the Indonesian version of the aircraft.
Indonesia initially agreed to shoulder 20% of the KF-21 development cost when the country joined the project in 2014. However, after Indonesia failed to meet the deadline for its share of the payment in 2017, the Indonesian government requested renegotiation with South Korea in 2020 which resulted in the reduction of its share to 18.8%.
However, while Indonesia has reaffirmed its commitment and has allocated the funds to fulfill its obligation to the project in September 2021, it appears that it has yet materialized which raised concerns and protests from South Korean media and defense enthusiasts.
UVision USA and Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) signed a collaboration agreement to manufacture the Hero 120 Loitering Munition system…
Survitec, a provider of critical safety and survival solutions, has secured a significant contract to equip five Type 31 Frigates…
Spire Global, Inc., a provider of space-based data, analytics, and space services, has announced a deal with South Korea’s HANCOM…
Emirates has commenced its Neste fuel agreement at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport this month, with over 2 million gallons of Sustainable…
AirAsia Malaysia announced the resumption of its Kuala Lumpur-Vientiane route commencing on 2nd July 2024 on Tuesday (Mar. 26). This…
A new A321-200PF freighter joined the Royal Jordanian (RJ) fleet on March 24, bolstering its capacity to meet the cargo…
Jordan Airmotive and National Airlines have expanded their partnership with a CF6-80C2B5F engine sale. Jordan Airmotive is an engine MRO…
The Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) commenced the steel-cutting ceremony for its inaugural Kapal Cepat Rudal (KCR / Fast Missile Boat) of…
Supernal, Hyundai Motor Group’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) company, has appointed David McBride as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). McBride will…
Northrop Grumman and Diehl Defence have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) formalizing their commitment to work together to support…
Collins Aerospace unveiled its Venue smart monitor at the recent Aircraft Electronics Association Convention & Trade Show's new product introduction…
Raytheon has been awarded a US$1.2 billion contract to supply Germany with Patriot air and missile defense systems. The systems…
Airbus Defence and Space has revealed its plans to acquire INFODAS, a Cologne-based company specialising in cybersecurity and IT solutions…
Boeing has announced that its current President & CEO Dave Calhoun will step down at the end of 2024; Calhoun…
VITEC, a multinational Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) technology company, is set to bring its streaming technologies at…
The German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) announced a contract awarded to Rheinmetall for the "Schwerer Waffenträger Infanterie (Heavy Weapon Carrier for…
Korean Air is set to finalize a contract with Airbus for the acquisition of 33 A350 family aircraft. The agreement…
The Indonesian Army's 13th Cavalry Battalion has officially welcomed nine Harimau tanks into its arsenal. The induction ceremony took place…
Naval Group commenced the steel-cutting ceremony for the first third-generation French SSBN (SNLE 3G) at the group’s shipyard in Cherbourg…
Vietnam's leading budget airline, Vietjet, continues its expansion into the Australian market with the introduction of a new direct flight…
MRO company AAR has signed a multi-year agreement to supply surplus material for the CFM56-5B engine to Cebu Pacific. Under…
Embraer hosted the C-390 Millennium and A-29 Super Tucano of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) at Embraer Executive Jets' headquarters…
Terma's SCANTER 4002 radars have been selected by Belgian Defence to enhance the nation's airspace surveillance capabilities at both military…
MBDA, manufacturer of missiles and missile systems, has joined Egypt International Airshow (EIAS) as Platinum Sponsor that will take place…
Eve Air Mobility's Urban Air Traffic Management (Urban ATM) software has been named Vector. According to the company, Vector will…
GKN Aerospace has signed a decade-long agreement to expand its support for the LEAP engines, strengthening its long-term partnership with…
Italian company Piaggio Aerospace has achieved certification as a Maintenance Training Organisation by the Italian Ministry of Defence, permitting the…
Airbus has secured a contract from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, to design and manufacture the GRACE-C…
Lufthansa Technik will provide Total Component Support (TCS) for the current and future Airbus A321neo and A330neo fleets of Sunclass…
AirAsia Cambodia has announced its readiness to commence operations with flights to three domestic destinations: Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and…
Headquartered in Singapore with reporters spread across all major regions, GBP Aerospace & Defence is a leading media house that publishes three publications that serve the aerospace and defence sector - Asian Defence Technology, Asian Airlines & Aerospace and Daily News. Known industry-wide for quality journalism, GBP Aerospace & Defence is present at more international tradeshows and exhibitions than any other competing publication in the region.
For over three decades, our award-winning team of reporters has been producing top-notch content to help readers stay abreast of the latest developements in the field of commercial aviation, MRO, defence, and Space.
Copyright 2024. GBP. All Rights Reserved.
Home Defence & Security Space Commercial Aviation Maintence Repair & Overhaul Daily News Events About Us
2024 GBP all rights reserved.