South Korea Completes Flight Test of Domestically Made KF-21 Fighter Jet

The photo together marks the completion of the KF-21 fighter jet flight test. (Source: Defense Acquisition Program Administration via The Korea Times)

South Korea last month successfully completed all planned flight tests for the KF-21 fighter aircraft under development.

The Ginseng State's first domestically produced fighter aircraft is expected to significantly improve the military's air defense capabilities when deployed.

After the launch of the first KF-21 prototype in April 2021, officials have conducted about 1,600 test flights without accidents, and the last test flight, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), quoted from The Korea Times (20/2).

DAPA officials said they were able to accelerate the flight test phase by about two months by expanding the test site and including the process of refueling in the air in the test phase.

Officials plan to complete development of the fighter by the first half of this year and deliver the first batch of the advanced fighter to the Air Force in the second half.

South Korea launched the KF-21 development program in 2015 to acquire a domestically produced supersonic fighter to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of US-made F-4 and F-5 jets.

The first production model of the domestically produced fighter jet entered the final assembly stage in May 2025.