South Korea has a dream: to design and build its own advanced fighter. And little by little he is turning it into reality. Talk later of the KF-21 Boramaewhich began development as such in 2015, but whose original project was announced in 2001.
The objective is to take advantage of it to replace the old American F-5 Tiger II and F-4 Phantom II. And although there were doubts about the ability of the Asians to carry out this ambitious initiative, the first fruits have already begun to be reaped. The aircraft was unveiled in 2021, with a design clearly inspired by Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor. Although it is expected that it will only be in service by 2028.
But beware, just because the KF-21 Boramae is aesthetically similar to that of the F-22 Raptor, it does not mean that it also has the same characteristics. First, the South Korean development does not correspond to that of a fifth generation fighter as is the American. The Asian aircraft intends to be identified as generation 4.5, which places it in a very interesting operating segment. Also, without necessarily being sneaky, it aims to bring better stealth features than the already existing fourth-gen ones.
Undoubtedly, we are facing a rather striking case. Especially if we consider that South Korea already has more advanced fighters in its military fleet. Since January 2022, the Air Force has 40 units of the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II and intends to add another 20. While the Navy plans to incorporate 20 F-35B, although until December 2021 the determination had not been approved. by the South Korean parliament.
KF-21 Boramae: South Korea’s ambitious advanced fighter
The KF-21 Boramae was born from an experimental fighter project that sought to replace aircraft that were already obsolete at the time. A determination that not only represented a challenge in economic matters, but also in research and development. But that also had as justification the historical context of hostilities with North Koreaand the need to lay the foundations to have an aeronautical and arms industry prepared to face important challenges for the future.
While the beginnings of the KF-21 Boramae go back to the announcement of the program KF-X in 2001, the project suffered its logical delays. And it wasn’t until 2010 that the initiative began to take real shape. At that time, South Korea signed an alliance with Indonesiawho came together to cover a fraction of the costs and provide a piece of the technology needed to make it happen.
According to journalistic reports, the Indonesian authorities have not been able to fulfill all the commitments they made when joining the creation of the aircraft. However, the South Koreans carried most of the tasks on their shoulders and the results began to be seen in recent years. It is worth clarifying that, beyond being a 100% Asian development, at the end of 2022 it became known that Poland intended to join as a potential first European operator.
Before arriving at the final design inspired by the F-22 Raptor, the KF-21 Boramae went through various stages of refinement and adaptation of its characteristics. Not for nothing, the formal development of the fighter began in 2015 and we only met the first prototype in mid-2021.
Photos: DAPA.
Main features
The manufacture of the plane is in charge of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), which has already produced about six prototypes. They have been flight tested on several occasions during this initial testing phase. In fact, DAPA, the administration in charge of South Korea’s Defense projects, shared the first video last month of a KF-21 Boramae flying for the first time at supersonic speeds.
The South Korean fighter will be produced in both single-seater and two-seater versions. In both cases, they will be powered by two engines General Electric F414 with afterburner system, capable of producing up to 22,000 pounds of force each. It is expected to be able to fly at a top speed of Mach 1.8 and cover distances of up to 2,900 kilometers without refueling.
Regarding its dimensions, the KF-21 Boramae measures 16.9 meters long, with a wingspan of 11.2 meters. While in what corresponds to weapons, no further details have been provided. It has only been said that it has an automatic cannon, possibly for 20-millimeter ammunition, and that has 10 anchor points — six in the wings and four under the fuselage — for bombs and missiles. It is speculated that future versions could incorporate internal bays for weapons, which would help reduce their equivalent radar section. Although, as we already explained, it has not been designed to be completely stealthy.
KAI’s intention is that the KF-21 Boramae start mass production from 2026, so that in 2028 some 40 units will be under the command of the South Korean Air Force. Another 80 could enter service from 2032, according to comments during the presentation of the first prototype. Regarding its operability, it is expected that the Block 1 aircraft will be air superiority fighters, since their capabilities will be limited to air-to-air tasks. While those of Block 2 could already take advantage of their full potential to be used as multipurpose fighters.