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Korea’s homegrown KF-21 fighter jet takes off from a runway in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, for its first test flight on July 19. (courtesy DAPA)

Korea’s first homegrown fighter jet, the KF-21 Boramae, successfully completed its first test flight on Tuesday, marking the first successful flight in the 21 years since Korea began production of the indigenous fighter jet. Tuesday’s flight brought Korea one step closer to becoming the eighth country in the world to develop a supersonic fighter jet.

The first KF-21 prototype took off from the runway of the 3rd Flying Training Wing of the Sacheon Air Force base in South Gyeongsang Province at 3:40 pm on Tuesday. The jet flew for around 33 minutes and landed at 4:13 pm.

The jet flew at a speed of about 400 kilometers per hour (250 mph), just slower than supersonic speed, to confirm the fighter’s functionality. The KF-21 is built to be capable of flying at 1.8 times the speed of sound.

“As we have gotten one step closer to the successful development of a homegrown fighter jet, this symbolizes a new leap in domestic aviation technology and a rise of a strong high-tech military,” the Defense Acquisition Program Administration shared in a press release.

The KF-21 fighter jet soars through the skies during its first test flight on the afternoon of July 19. (courtesy DAPA)

The Boramae’s successful test flight comes 21 years after President Kim Dae-jung launched the Korean fighter (KF-X) project back in August 2001.

Korea will begin mass production of the KF-21 in 2026 after completing 2,200 test flights over the next four years to confirm its performance and air-to-air armament suitability. The plan is to deploy 40 units by 2028 and 120 units in total by 2032. The KF-21 is set to replace aging F-4 and F-5 jets currently in use by the Korean Air Force.

By Kwon Hyuk-chul, staff reporter

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