The KF-21 is the first Korean fighter jet built largely with domestic technology. On March 25, a rollout ceremony for the first mass-production unit of the KF-21 was held at Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province. Developed since 2015, the domestic supersonic fighter has completed all tests, including flight trials, and has entered full-scale production. The first unit is scheduled to be delivered to the Air Force as early as September this year.
According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), about 10 trillion won ($7.3 billion) will be spent to deliver 40 early-model aircraft, both tandem and single-seat versions, to the Air Force by 2028. The Air Force plans to secure an additional 80 Block-II aircraft with enhanced air-to-ground capabilities as multi-role fighters, aiming to deploy a total of 120 units at the 16th and 18th Fighter Wings by 2032.
Korea is the eighth country or region to develop a 4.5-generation supersonic fighter, following the United States, Russia, China, France, Japan, Sweden, and the European consortium of the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The KF-21 has a top speed of Mach 1.81 (2,200 kilometers per hour) and a maximum range of 2,900 kilometers. Its weapons payload capacity is 7.7 tons. Unlike the F-35, currently the world's top fighter and designed for a single pilot, the KF-21 also comes in a tandem-seat version.
The localization rate of the KF-21's early model is estimated at about 65 percent. Four core avionics systems — active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, infrared search and track (IRST), electro-optical targeting system, and integrated electronic warfare suite — were built with domestic technology. Cutting-edge sensors such as the AESA radar and IRST, which serve as the eyes and brain of a supersonic fighter for detection, tracking and strike, have been localized.
Such performance has made the KF-21 a key future driver of Korea's defense industry. Unfortunately, a hurdle remains for overseas exports: the engine, the heart of the KF-21, which is borrowed from the United States. The engine equipped in the KF-21 is the F414-GE-400K, manufactured by General Electric (GE) of the United States and produced by Hanwha Aerospace (012450.KS) through a technology licensing arrangement.
The issue is that this engine is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), administered by the U.S. State Department. Exports to third countries require U.S. export licenses (EL). Under ITAR's third-country transfer provisions, U.S. administrative approval is required if even a single critical U.S. component is included. This is why observers point to the need for active national investment in aircraft engines.
"In similar past cases, exports proceeded smoothly through close cooperation between the Korean and U.S. governments and companies," a DAPA official said. "Even if third-country exports of the KF-21 — which is equipped with an engine subject to ITAR — are pursued in the future, we will manage the process based on the Korea-U.S. cooperation framework so that export execution proceeds without disruption."
A full transfer of the technology from the United States is also not possible as an alternative. The global aircraft engine market is dominated by three companies: GE and Pratt & Whitney (P&W) of the United States, and Rolls-Royce of the United Kingdom. These countries are strengthening their market dominance by blocking overseas technology transfers. As a result, concerns are mounting that the KF-21's exports to third countries could be constrained by its aircraft engine.
"Gas turbine engines used in aircraft are nearly identical to missile propulsion systems, making their trade and proliferation difficult under international conventions, and countries with related technology strictly control its leakage," a defense industry official said. "It is hard for Hanwha Aerospace to fully receive the relevant technology from GE, so achieving technological independence in aircraft engines is urgent."
In 2022, the government announced its "12 National Strategic Technologies" and "50 Key Detailed Technologies." One of them is "advanced aircraft gas turbine engines and components." The government has declared active national investment to foster the aircraft engine sector. "Achieving self-reliance in aircraft engine technology could serve as a new growth engine, generating high production-inducement effects and added value," an official at the Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement said.
