Nearing its first flight, South Korea's KF-21 Boramae could prove the successful antithesis of Western combat aircraft programs

With more than 550 fighter jets in its inventory, the South Korean air force ranks 7th among the world's air forces according to this criterion, yielding sixth place to its northern neighbor by only a few dozen aircraft. However, and like North Korea, Pakistan or even India which precedes it, South Korea still aligns a large number of old generation aircraft, including 156 F-5 Tiger II and 69 F4 Phantom II. Faced with the worsening of international tensions, but also with the strengthening of the nuclear strike capabilities of its neighbor and hereditary enemy for 70 years now, as well as the fear that Beijing and/or Moscow will authorize the export of modern combat aircraft towards Pyongyang, the South Korean authorities are engaged in a vast effort to modernize their forces, including their air forces. This effort involves modernizing the few 167 F-16s in service to bring them to the Block 70 Viper standard, the acquisition of 20 additional F-35As in addition to the 40 already in service, the entry into service of 50 FA-50 light fighters of local manufacture, as well as the development of an advanced combat aircraft, the KF-21 Boramae.

Pillar of the KFX program, the assembly of the first prototype of the KF-21 Boramae began just three years ago, when the program managed to develop this device halfway between the 4th and 5th generation in an envelope budget of only $8,5 billion. Officially presented in static version in April 2021, the first prototype has just been observed leading taxiing and take-off run exercises on the site of its manufacturer, KAI, near Sacheon airport. According to the manufacturer and the South Korean authorities, the device should make its first flight in the days or weeks to come, in any case before the end of July, in accordance with the planning of the program yet struck, as many others, by the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic the previous two years. In a video published on Youtube, we can indeed observe the aircraft taxiing on the taxiway, then begin a convincing take-off run, suggesting that the first flight is only a few cables away.

Intended to be ordered in 120 copies by the South Korean air force, and 40 copies by Indonesia (if the latter respects its commitments), the KF-21 will replace the F-5 Tiger and the F-4 Phantom II still in service with the South Korean Air Force. However, if the performances are at the rendezvous during the tests, and if the Fly-away unit price remains at the level of the announced objective of $65 million, it is likely that other orders will follow, the device meeting to an increasingly sensitive need within many air forces in terms of operational mass. It must be said that, unlike the F-35, KAI seems to have been able to measure the technological contributions of its aircraft with regard to the constraints generated, and the potential additional costs generated. Thus, if the device has a shape and use of materials favoring stealth, it does not have an internal ammunition bay, but 10 points of carriage to embark ammunition, additional tanks and pods. In addition, KAI opted for a twin-engine configuration, equipping its aircraft with 2 F414 turbojet engines from the American General Electric, offering a total thrust of 195 KN with afterburner, i.e. 20 tons, for an aircraft whose maximum take-off weight will only be 25 tons.

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