South Korea’s indigenous KF-21 Boramae fighter aircraft has officially завершed its full flight-test campaign, bringing the program one step closer to frontline service with the Republic of Korea Air Force. The milestone confirms the aircraft’s maturity as Seoul advances its ambitions for self-reliant combat aviation capabilities.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced that the final test sortie was flown in mid-January over waters near Sacheon in Gyeongsangnam-do, utilizing the fourth prototype. Since testing began, the KF-21 accumulated nearly 1,600 flights across 42 months, successfully meeting over 13,000 performance and safety benchmarks without any reported incidents.
Flight-test results demonstrated the aircraft’s aerodynamic performance, mission functionality, and suitability for operational deployment. Officials highlighted that the inclusion of air-to-air refueling evaluations and expanded flight zones helped shorten the test timeline, allowing completion ahead of the original schedule.
Developed by Korea Aerospace Industries with support from the Agency for Defense Development, the KF-21 program draws on contributions from hundreds of domestic suppliers and national research organizations. First unveiled in 2021 and flown in 2022, the Boramae is intended to replace older U.S.-built fighters, with system development concluding in early 2026 and mass-produced aircraft deliveries starting later that year.
