KF-21 Boramae: After US, China; now South Korea ready with its most advanced fighter jet

The KAI KF-21 Boramae is jointly developed with Indonesia, with the goal of producing an advanced multirole fighter for the South Korean and Indonesian air forces.

The race to develop the world’s most advanced fighter jet has further intensified with South Korea successfully completing the maiden test flight of the Gen 5 KF-21 aircraft. The warplane took off at the 3rd Flying Training Wing of the Air Force in Sacheon, about 300 km south of Seoul. With the arrival of KF21, South Korea will join an exclusive group of seven nations with homegrown supersonic fighter jets, including India, United States, China, France, Russia Sweden and European Consortium. The KAI (Korean Aerospace Industry) KF-21 Boramae is jointly developed with Indonesia, with the goal of producing an advanced multirole fighter for the South Korean and Indonesian air forces

While the Korean KF-21 Boramae promises to be a 5th generation fighter jet, others are calling it a 4.5 Gen fighter jet due to lack of equipment. The Block 1 version of the jet completed the test flight, prompting critics to call it a 4.5 gen jet at best. Korea is working on Block 2 and Block 3 aircrafts, which will be sufficiently sophisticated to compete with the F-35 or F-22. Korea goes on to say that the jet will be Gen 6 compliant with induction of laser weapons and artificial intelligence.

The only other 5th gen jet makers are from the United States with two jets, including F-35 and F22, China with J20 and Russia with Su-57. As for the 4.5 gen fighter jets, there are a handful of them, including India’s Tejas LCA and also Rafale made in France. South Korea has so far developed five KF-21 prototypes for testing purposes and plans to be inducted in the Korean Air Force by 2026.

India’s AMCA Gen 5 fighter jet

Meanwhile, India is also racing to induct home-made Gen 5 fighter jets in the Indian Air Force, and replace foreign jets like Dassault Rafale and Sukhoi Su-30 MKI or the soon to be inducted Gen 4.5 fighter jet. The AMCA would be stealthy and have 'super cruise' capabilities and will make India a member of an exclusive club of countries with fifth-generation stealth warplanes.

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