The South Korean government is moving to push back the completion of the KF-21 "Boramae" supersonic fighter deployment by about four years, the Seoul Economic Daily has learned. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) faces a heavy burden, as the KF-21 program requires spending equivalent to roughly 35% of the current force improvement budget for several years.
According to reporting compiled by the Seoul Economic Daily on the 27th, DAPA Commissioner Lee Yong-cheol recently visited Air Force Headquarters at Gyeryongdae and met with Air Force Chief of Staff Son Seok-rak to discuss postponing the completion of KF-21 Boramae deployment from 2032 to 2036, a four-year delay.
Lee explained that massive spending concentrated on the KF-21 Block I (air-to-air armament) program alone could disrupt the schedules of other military force-buildup projects funded through the roughly 20 trillion won force improvement budget, and requested cooperation.
Starting in 2029, when the KF-21 Block II (air-to-ground armament) program begins, about 7 trillion won will need to be spent annually. Including the cost of weapons to be mounted, the annual figure could reach around 9 trillion won, sources said. The KF-21 program alone would absorb nearly half of the current force improvement budget.
DAPA had originally planned to spend about 10 trillion won on the KF-21 Block I (air-to-air armament) program to deliver 40 early-model aircraft (twin- and single-seat) to the Air Force by 2028. The Air Force then planned to procure an additional 80 aircraft by 2032, fielding 120 in total to complete deployment.
A DAPA official said, "Unless fiscal authorities sharply raise the force improvement budget to 30 trillion won, proceeding with the KF-21 deployment schedule as originally planned would make reallocating the force improvement budget unavoidable, which would inevitably disrupt all other services' force-buildup projects."
Fiscal Authorities Concerned Over 'Air Force Tilt' in Force Improvement Budget
Major ongoing military force-buildup projects include the next-generation Korean destroyer (KDDX) program (about 8 trillion won), the special operations heavy-lift helicopter program (about 3.4 trillion won), the electronic warfare aircraft program (about 2 trillion won), and the sea-based ballistic missile interceptor (SM-3 class) program (about 800 billion won).
The Air Force, however, maintains that the program must be completed by 2032 despite DAPA's request. An Air Force official said, "The KF-21 program has already been delayed considerably beyond the original plan, which will inevitably disrupt the overall plan to modernize Air Force capabilities," adding, "We are in close consultation with DAPA."
Inside and outside the military, analysts attribute the mood to an "Air Force tilt" in the force improvement budget. In reviewing the 2025–2029 National Fiscal Management Plan, fiscal authorities are said to have also proposed delaying the introduction of 40 KF-21 Block I aircraft by one year from 2028.
In addition to the KF-21, the Air Force is simultaneously pursuing performance upgrades to the F-16, F-15K and F-35A, additional F-35A procurement, medium- and long-range surface-to-air guided weapons, large transport aircraft, the second phase of the airborne control aircraft program, aerial refueling tankers and electronic warfare aircraft. Foreign weapons procurement alone totals 15 trillion won.
The Defense Ministry and Joint Chiefs of Staff are said to be leaning toward DAPA's position on postponing KF-21 deployment completion. Military authorities plan to pursue trillion-won-scale projects as core tasks of the current administration, including nuclear-powered submarines of 5,000 tons or more and a Korean-style manned-unmanned carrier.
A Defense Ministry official said, "It is not an Air Force tilt, but our position is that the KF-21 program should not disrupt the schedules of other services' force-buildup projects," adding, "Since trillion-won programs such as the nuclear-powered submarine must also move ahead quickly, the KF-21 deployment completion date needs to be adjusted in advance."
KF-21 takes off! K-defense is now conquering the skies!
