The South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has announced that indigenous Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar has been installed and tested on the new KF-21 Boramae fighter jet.
The arms procurement agency said Saturday that a third prototype with an AESA radar mounted took off from the Air Force’s 3rd Flying Training Wing in Sacheon, about 300 kilometers south of Seoul, at 10 a.m. and completed an 84-minute flight.
This prototype conducted its successful maiden flight in January. The first and second KF-21 prototypes carried out their maiden flights in July and November last year, respectively. In January, a fourth prototype ― this one a two-seater ― also had a maiden flight.
The agency said it plans to start conducting flights of two more prototypes in the first half of the year under a plan to conduct 2,000 test flights in total by February 2026.
Boramae is a multi-role fighter jet developed the Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. and the outcome of the KF-X aircraft development program which has been pursued since 2016.
The new KF-21 is s one of the most important national projects to replace current air force fighters and to introduce the next generation fighter that can satisfy the future operation concept of the force battlefield.