[Yang Nakgyu's Defence Club] Will South Korea Join Hands with Saudi Arabia to Develop a Sixth-Generation Fighter Jet?
by Yang Nakgyu
Published 29 Jul.2025 06:46(KST)
Updated 29 Jul.2025 08:06(KST)
Air Force Chief of Staff Lee Youngsu Departs on July 29 to Discuss Cooperation Measures
Promoting KF-21-Based Manned-Unmanned Teaming Systems
The South Korean government is once again proposing a joint development of a sixth-generation fighter jet with Saudi Arabia. The plan is to base the project on the Korean fighter jet KF-21 (Korean supersonic fighter). If successful, it is expected to occupy a significant share of the global aviation export market.
On July 29, a government official stated, "Air Force Chief of Staff Lee Youngsu will visit Saudi Arabia from July 28 to August 1 to discuss ways to strengthen defense and defense industry cooperation and to promote the KF-21," adding, "There will be substantive discussions on the development of a sixth-generation fighter jet, which will feature not only stealth capabilities but also artificial intelligence (AI) and manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) functionalities."
During his visit, Lee will meet with high-ranking Saudi military officials, including Chief of General Staff Fayyadh bin Hamid Al-Ruwaili (Air Force General), Air Force Commander Turki bin Bandar Al Saud (Lieutenant General), and Deputy Commander of the Air Defense Forces Mazayad bin Sulaiman Al-Amro (Air Force Lieutenant General).
The South Korean government has been pushing for joint development of a sixth-generation fighter jet with Saudi Arabia since last year. Senior officials from the Ministry of National Defense and the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) traveled abroad to meet with officials from the Saudi Ministry of Defense and presented a conceptual plan for the sixth-generation fighter jet. They emphasized that development time could be significantly reduced by using the KF-21 as a foundation. Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) plans to develop a fifth-generation stealth fighter through Block-3 performance upgrades and to create a sixth-generation manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) system. The plan also includes deploying unmanned wingmen and stealth unmanned reconnaissance aircraft using Korean Air's Gaori-X1, and developing core technologies for next-generation AI-based aerial combat systems.
Saudi Arabia has so far been unable to find a partner country for joint development of a sixth-generation fighter jet. The United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan signed the "Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP)" treaty last month to jointly develop a sixth-generation fighter jet. GCAP aims to deploy a fighter jet with greatly enhanced supersonic performance and radar detection capabilities by 2035. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly expressed its desire to participate in GCAP. In July last year, Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud conveyed this intention to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. However, Japan reportedly opposed the idea, citing that much of the work had already been completed and that the project schedule was tight to meet the 2035 deadline. In Europe, Germany is already leading the development of the sixth-generation "Future Combat Air System (FCAS)" together with France and Spain, with the first test flight scheduled for 2029.
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