South Korea has reached a historic milestone in its defense history by officially delivering its first mass-produced KF-21 Boramae supersonic fighter jet to the Air Force. During a ceremony on Tuesday, the newly manufactured aircraft successfully completed its maiden flight from the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) plant in Sacheon to an Air Force unit in Yecheon, escorted by a formation of domestic trainer and light attack jets.
The handover marks the transition of the decades-long indigenous fighter program from development to operational deployment. The South Korean Air Force plans to phase in more than 100 KF-21 jets by the early 2030s, starting with 40 air-to-air capable units by 2028, followed by advanced variants equipped with long-range air-to-ground missiles.
