* South Korea begins mass production of KF-21 fighter aircraft
This year, South Korea will build 40 KF-21 Boramae fighter jets with an investment of 238.7 billion won ($178.6 million), even while the aircraft is in the process of flight testing.
According to the Korean Defense Minister, the mass production of KF-21 fighter aircraft is to fill the “gap” when the country’s air force’s aging fighter fleet retires.
KF-21 Boramae makes its first flight. Photo: KAI
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the manufacturer of the KF-21, said the engineering and production phase will end in 2026. According to Korea Times, the Korean Air Force plans to deploy first KF-21 fighter in the second half of 2026.
It is expected that the KF-21 fighter will replace the F-4 and F-5 aircraft. In 2028, the Korean Air Force will begin flying the first KF-21s for air-to-air missions. This force plans to own a total of 120 KF-21 Boramae by 2032. Accordingly, Boramae will serve as the “backbone” of the Korean Air Force.
Developed since 2015, the KF-21 fighter was launched by KAI at the ADEX Aerospace and Defense Exhibition in Seoul last October.
The KF-21 fighter uses an active electronic phased array radar system with a wide target scanning and detection range, high resolution and the ability to track multiple targets at the same time. The KF-21 is also equipped with a distributed aperture electro-optical system that allows the pilot to have a panoramic view of the surrounding airspace, even when the aircraft is not flying in a direct direction towards the target.
South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and KAI have tested mounting long-range missiles on the KF-21 to increase competitiveness in the international market. Prototypes of the KF-21 will also be tested with air-to-ground missiles and short-range air-to-air missiles.
In April 2023, Germany’s Diehl Defense Company announced that the KF-21 had successfully test-fired the IRIS-T air-to-air missile.
* The Netherlands equips Apache and Reaper with AGM-114R2 Hellfire missiles
The US State Department has approved the sale of Hellfire missiles and related equipment at an estimated cost of $150 million to the Netherlands.
The Royal Netherlands Air Force’s AH-64E Apache attack helicopter will be equipped with AGM-114R2 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles. Photo: Dutch Ministry of Defense
According to Military Leak, the Dutch government has requested to buy up to 386 AGM-114R2 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles. According to the plan, this new Hellfire missile will be equipped with Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and MQ-9A Reaper drones of the Royal Netherlands Air Force.
Initially, AGM-114 Hellfire – America’s air-to-ground missile (ASM) – was developed to fight armor. Later, this missile was developed for attack by drones to destroy other types of targets, especially high-value targets.
