JAKARTA - President Lee Jae Myung inaugurated the mass production of the South Korean-made KF-21 Boramae fighter jet which he said would not only strengthen the country's defense, but also elevate the Ginseng Country as one of the developed countries in the field of defense industry.
Koresel launched the first KF-21 Boramae fighter plane to come off the assembly line on Wednesday, marking the culmination of a 25-year development program and the start of a new chapter for the country's defense industry.
In his speech at the inauguration of the start of mass production of the KF-21 in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, President Lee highlighted the achievements in the country's long-term aspiration for independence in national defense.
President Lee said the government would use the success of the KF-21 as a "solid foundation" as part of the country's vision to become one of the top four defense industrial powers in the world, while expanding investment in related industries and strengthening cooperation with partner countries.
"This fighter plane standing proudly in front of you embodies the long-cherished aspiration for a self-reliant national defense that we have pursued for more than half a century," President Lee said in his speech, launching The Korea Times (25/3).
Sacheon itself is home to Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), a defense company that has jointly led the project for the past 25 years with other stakeholders such as Hanwha Aerospace, Hanwha Systems, the Air Force, and the Defense Development Agency.
President Lee further called the launch of the first mass-produced KF-21 "the result of a long journey of 25 years, which was built on the hard work and efforts of many individuals," and noted that late President Kim Dae-jung introduced the project in 2001.
President Lee explained that the KF-21 "marks that Korea has secured a new driving force to compete confidently with the world's leading defense countries."
"The government will use this success as a solid foundation to advance Korea into one of the top four defense industrial countries," President Lee explained, putting the Ginseng State on par with the United States, Russia, and France.
President Lee also said the government would ensure the sustainability of industrial growth, noting that the government "will immediately invest in and support the development of advanced aircraft engines, materials, and components."
On the global stage, President Lee emphasized that the KF-21 had attracted attention even before the launch of the first assembled jet, driven by its outstanding performance, low maintenance costs, and high flexibility of its airframe platform.
"We will share not only our world-class weapons systems, but also our development technology and experience with partner countries," he said, before concluding that the government would advance South Korea as a "contributor to world peace and prosperity."
The KF-21 project is led by domestic engineers throughout the process, from the design stage to the first prototype built in 2021 and to full production, demonstrating the competitiveness of Korea's defense industry on the global stage.
This includes an active electronic scanning array radar, infrared search and tracking, electro-optical targeting pod, and integrated electronic warfare array technology.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
