The KF-21 Boramae, South Korea’s new fighter, reached another important milestone on Monday when the prototype 004 performed its maiden flight.
What is new is that the supersonic jet is a two-seat version, unlike the three previous test planes.
Images of the KF-21 taking off and in flight were shared on social networks while the manufacturer itself, Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI), had not yet commented on the milestone.
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The maiden flight of the two-seater KF-21 comes just seven months after the first prototype took off in July 2022.
Prototype 004 was already in an advanced stage of assembly in June of last year, but KAI preferred to fly the single-seat prototypes 002 and 003 beforehand.
The KF-21 Boramae is a 4.5 generation fighter, so it has some stealth characteristics, but it doesn’t fall into that category where jets like the F-22, F-35, J-20 and Su-75 are..
Despite this, it is a fighter with great potential since it has a flexible architecture, capable of receiving updates quickly.
KAI’s goal is to put the KF-21 into service from 2028. It will be operated by the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) and also by Indonesia, which is a partner in the project.
