The U.S. "Defense News" reported on February 3 that South Korea plans to provide 238.7 billion won (1. ) for the production of 40 KF-21 "Falcon" fighters$7.9 billion), the fighter is now in the test flight stage.
South Korea's defense minister said in a statement on December 21 that the first KF-21s in production would fill the "power vacuum" created by the retirement of old fighters in the South Korean Air Force.
The Falcon, aircraft manufacturer Korea Aerospace Industries, said the design and production development of the project will be completed in 2026. The Korea Times reported last month that the South Korean Air Force's first Falcon fighter jet would enter service in the second half of this year.
This aircraft will replace the fleet of F-4 and F-5. The South Korean Air Force plans to equip it all with Falcon fighters by 2032.
South Korea's Defense Ministry said the Falcon fighter jets will serve as the "workhorse" of the South Korean Air Force and will play an important role in expanding the three-axis defense system. This system is a tactic for South Korea to respond to North Korean attacks.
The Falcon has been in operation since 2015, but the program has not progressed much until 2020, when its first prototype was assembled. South Korea** has commissioned South Korea's Aerospace Industries Corporation to develop the project and has received technical support from Lockheed Martin in the United States. The two companies once worked together to develop the FA-50 light attack aircraft.
Already in 2022, 6 Falcon began their first test flights. Korea Aerospace Industries, which will be showcased at the ADEX defense exhibition in Seoul in October 2023, has previously conducted 60 subsonic tests and has completed at least 300 of the 2,000 planned tests.
Until 2028, the prototype will continue flight, ground, as well as additional tests, and the South Korean Air Force will fight with the Falcon fighter for the first time during the year.
The aircraft is equipped with advanced avionics systems, including active phased array radar, and can carry a variety of precision**.
South Korea's Defense Acquisition Initiative Agency and Korea Aerospace Industries Corporation are testing Falcon-equipped missiles to enhance their competitiveness in the global market. Last year, NASA unveiled a Falcon missile development project, which is scheduled to be completed by 2035. The Korea Aerospace Industries Corporation also tested a number of missile systems with the European Missile Organization in a deal signed last year.
The cost of the KF-21 program is estimated at 88 trillion won. Of these, the Defense Acquisition Planning Agency is responsible for 60 percent, the Korea Aerospace Industry Corporation is responsible for 20 percent, and the remaining 20 percent is provided by Indonesia. But Indonesia has defaulted on its debt since 2017.
Korea Aerospace Industries expects the KF-21 to be the next successful export. In 2022, it signed a contract with Poland for 48 FA-50 light attack aircraft. Eighteen FA-50 fighters were ordered by the Royal Malaysian Air Force in December.