Second KF-21 Boramae Prototype Makes Its First Flight

The second prototype of South Korea's new combat aircraft project KF-21 Boramae made its maiden flight today. According to South Korea's YONHAP News Agency, the second KF-21 prototype took off at 9:49 a.m. from the airport of the 3rd flight training squadron of the air force in the city of Sacheon, 300 km south of the capital Seoul. The flight, which did not have any problems, ended with the plane landing at 10:24. According to Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI), which developed the KF-21, the prototype aircraft traveled an average speed of 407 km/h during the flight, which took about 35 minutes and took place near the company's headquarters. The first prototype of the KF-21, described by KAI as the 4.5th generation, made its maiden flight on 19 July.

The KF-21, South Korea's most important military aviation project to date, although developed by KAI, has a large number of Western-made components. Although at first glance, this seems to be a negative situation, South Korea, which has good relations with the West, will be able to reduce the development time of the project and significantly reduce the risk, increasing the chances of exporting the aircraft to international markets.