Domestic Fighter KF-21 Successfully Completes Second Flight with Landing Gear Retracted... 39-Minute Flight

Yonhap News Agency

[The Asia Business Daily, reporter Seo Midum] The domestically developed supersonic fighter jet KF-21 has successfully completed its second test flight. This comes just ten days after its maiden flight on July 19.

According to military sources, the KF-21 took off from the runway at the 3rd Training Wing in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, at 11:02 a.m. on July 29 and landed at 11:41 a.m. The flight lasted 39 minutes, which is about six minutes longer than the first flight.

The aircraft was piloted by Air Force Major Ahn Junhyeon of the 52nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, who also flew the jet during its first flight.

The speed reached approximately 440 km/h, similar to the previous flight's 460 km/h. The altitude was 10,000 feet, lower than the 15,000 feet achieved during the maiden flight. Unlike the first test, when the landing gear was kept down for safety reasons, this time the flight was conducted with the landing gear retracted.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration and Korea Aerospace Industries plan to conduct around 2,200 test flights by 2026 for thorough verification.

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