'KF-21 Boramae' No. 2 Also Successfully Completes First Test Flight (Update)

Performance Verification Soaring the Sky for 35 Minutes
"Similar to Unit 1, Facilitating Flight"

Domestic Supersonic Fighter Jet Boramae KF-21 Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Hee-jun Jang] The second unit of the domestically produced supersonic fighter jet KF-21 "Boramae" has successfully completed its first test flight. Following the initial test flight success of the first unit in July this year, the safe takeoff and landing of the second unit continued the smooth performance verification of the Korean supersonic fighter jet.

According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration on the 10th, the second prototype of the KF-21 successfully completed its maiden flight that morning.

The KF-21 second unit took off successfully around 9:49 a.m. and safely landed on the ground at approximately 10:24 a.m. It soared through the sky for 35 minutes, testing various flight performances.

On this day, the second unit was piloted by Chief Test Pilot Tae-beom Jin from the developer Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).

Chief Pilot Jin said, "Having accumulated flight experience from the first unit, the second unit also felt familiar. The flight focused on flight safety, and the flight characteristics were similar to the first unit, making the flight easy."

Going forward, with the successful flight of the second KF-21, flight tests will be conducted with two aircraft. Prototypes 3 to 6 will begin ground and flight test preparations and are scheduled to start sequential flight tests from the end of this year through the first half of next year.

Since the delivery of the first prototype in April 2021, the KF-21 has undergone various ground tests and, through the First Flight Readiness Review (FFRR) in June this year, confirmed that a safe maiden flight was prepared, leading to the first prototype's maiden flight on July 19.

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