The first production KF-21, South Korea's stealth(ish) fighter jet, has rolled off the assembly line.
Considering that the program officially launched in 2015, this is faster than I would have anticipated.
By way of comparison, it took the US F-22 about 15 years and the US F-35 took about 20 years.
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has rolled out the first production KF-21 Boramae fighter jet, less than two years after construction on it began and four years after the first prototype aircraft made it maiden flight.
The aircraft, a two-seat jet carrying the serial number 26-001, rolled out at KAI’s facilities at Sacheon on Wednesday in a ceremony attended by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, where he said the program embodied the country’s aspirations to be reliant in self-defense, according to national news agency Yonhap.
………
The rollout was a significant development for the KF-21 program, which marked another milestone in January with the completion of its flight test program.
South Korea first conceptualized its own indigenous fighter program 25 years ago, although the final go ahead to start development was only made in 2015. Beside KAI, its development also involving stakeholders such as South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development and Korean defense giant Hanwha.
The KF-21 is considered a 4.5 generation fighter jet and will be equipped with a mix of indigenous and Western sensors and weapons in service, including the KGGB precision glide bomb and European MBDA Meteor air-to-air missile, according to South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
Maybe the DoD should look at the RoK's defense procurement practices.
0 comments :
Post a Comment