South Korea to start mass production of KF-21 fighter jets

South Korea will build 40 KF-21 Boramae fighter jets this year with 238.7 billion won (U.S. $178.6 million) allocated for the Defense Ministry, even as the aircraft makes its way through flight and ground tests.

The first mass production of the KF-21 is expected to fill the “power vacuum” left when the South Korean Air Force’s ageing fighter fleet retires, the defence minister said in a statement, according to Defense News.

According to Korea Aerospace Industries, which makes the KF-21, the engineering and manufacturing phase will conclude in 2026. The Korea Times reported in January the Air Force plans to deploy the first KF-21 in the second half of that year.

The KF-21 is set to replace the F-4 and F-5 fleets, and the Air Force plans to have some 120 Boramae jets in total by 2032.

The Boramae will serve as the “backbone” of the Air Force, the ministry said, and will play a pivotal role in expanding the three-axis system — a strategy that informs how the South Korean military should respond to an attack from North Korea.