The KF-21 fighter is a fourth-generation and a half-generation fighter independently developed by South Korea, officially numbered and named KF-21 "Falcon", which means "a domestically produced fighter to defend the Korean Peninsula in the 21st century". The KF-21 fighter is derived from the KF-X "South Korea's Future Fighter" project, and its prototype completed its first flight in July 2022. The fighter uses two F414-GE-400 engines with a maximum flight speed of 1Mach 8, the maximum take-off weight is about 25 tons, and the maximum load is 765 tons, with a transfer range of more than 2,000 kilometers, and the combat technology indicators are generally between F-15 and F-16 fighters. The KF-21 fighter has certain stealth capabilities, but due to technical reasons, the KF-21 fighter has given up part of its stealth capabilities, it lacks a built-in bomb bay and adopts an external design. List of high-quality authors
In May 2023, Korea Aerospace Industries announced that the KF-21 fighter officially passed the "Interim Operational Suitability Assessment". According to Yonhap News Agency on October 17, South Korea officially released its self-developed KF-21 fighter jet at the 2023 Seoul International Aerospace and Military Industry Exhibition. This is the largest defense project in the history of South Korea and costs 8$800 million, 10 years, involving more than 200 companies in 16 countries, and is expected to produce 120 KF-21s by 2028 to replace the aging F-4 and F-5 fighters.