[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] First Reveal of Missiles Equipped on KF-21

The KF-21 is expected to be equipped with two types of air-to-air missiles, ten types of air-to-ground bombs, and one type of air-to-ground missile.

[Sacheon=Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The missiles to be equipped on the domestically produced fighter jet KF-21 (Boramae) have been revealed. A total of 13 types, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground bombs, and air-to-ground missiles, have been officially disclosed for the first time.

On the 6th, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) showcased the KF-21 prototype No. 1 performing a "ramp taxi" (ground taxiing) with its landing gear down at its headquarters apron in Sacheon, Gyeongnam. The vertical tail fin prominently displayed the number "001," indicating the first prototype, along with the Taegeukgi (Korean national flag). Underneath the KF-21, there was a structure capable of mounting four Meteor long-range air-to-air missiles, and it moved under its own power.

On that day, a KAI official stated, "The KF-21 is planned to be equipped with two types of air-to-air missiles, ten types of air-to-ground bombs, and one type of air-to-ground missile."

The air-to-ground missile to be mounted on the KF-21 is being developed domestically through the second phase of the long-range air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) project. It is an air-launched cruise missile capable of precision strikes on strategic targets from long distances, outside enemy air defense threat zones. If the ALCM development succeeds using domestic technology, it will be evaluated as strengthening the military's war deterrence posture by securing a weapons system that can contribute to the U.S. nuclear umbrella operation in times of crisis. In particular, it will have armament capabilities surpassing those of the stealth fighter F-35.

Furthermore, the military plans to equip the KF-21 with hypersonic missiles that are more than twice as fast as existing supersonic missiles (Mach 2.5). If launched toward the North Korean command center in Pyongyang, located 250 km above Seoul, it can reach the target in 1 minute and 15 seconds. Once developed, Korea will become the fourth country in the world to develop hypersonic missiles, following the U.S., China, and Russia.

The ground taxiing of the KF-21 revealed that day was conducted by Air Force Major Ahn Jun-hyun (54th class of the Air Force Academy) from the 52nd Test and Evaluation Squadron. Major Ahn is also scheduled to conduct the KF-21’s first flight later this month. If the flight succeeds, it will mark the first flight 21 years and 4 months after the KF-X project declaration, making Korea the eighth country in the world to develop a supersonic fighter jet.

After the first flight, approximately 2,000 sorties of test flights will be conducted until 2026 to verify flight performance and handling characteristics. Subsequently, the KF-21 is planned to obtain a "provisional combat suitability" certification in the latter half of next year, a "final combat suitability" certification in 2026, and continue additional armament tests until 2028.

During this process, the KF-21 must undergo various performance tests at KAI, including full-scale airframe tests and component-specific tests. Full-scale tests include load calibration tests, static tests, and durability tests. Component-specific tests check for cracks in components. At the fuel test facility, fuel was actually being loaded up to 6 tons using an aerial refueling device employing the "flying boom" method.

The KF-21 project duration varies depending on the block version of the fighter jet. System development (Block I) runs from 2015 to 2026, with an investment of 8.1 trillion KRW in partnership with Indonesia. Additional armament tests (Block II), pursued solely by Korea, will take place from 2026 to 2028 with an investment of 700 billion KRW. The total project scale reaches 8.8 trillion KRW, making it the "largest defense capability enhancement project since the founding of Korea."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.