[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Will the KF-21 Be Equipped with Supersonic Missiles?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Korean fighter jet (KF-21) ‘Boramae’ has successfully completed its first flight, drawing attention to its armament capabilities.

The KF-21 project is valued at a total of 8.8 trillion won, making it the largest power enhancement project since the era of Dangun. With this maiden flight, the military plans 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 testing until 2028.

The military intends to equip the KF-21 with two types of air-to-air missiles, ten types of air-to-ground bombs, and one type of air-to-ground missile. As armament systems, it can carry European-made METEOR air-to-air missiles, German Diehl’s air-to-air missile (AIM-2000), Raytheon or Boeing air-to-ground bombs and missiles, as well as domestically developed long-range air-to-ground guided missiles.

The air-to-ground missile to be mounted on the KF-21 will be 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 with domestic technology, it will be evaluated as strengthening the military’s war deterrence posture by securing a weapon 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, 250 km from Seoul airspace, it can reach the target in 1 minute and 15 seconds. Once the hypersonic missile is developed, South Korea will become the fourth country in the world to develop such technology, following the U.S., China, and Russia.

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