S.Korea's first homegrown fighter jet completes test flight

Korea Aerospace Industries

19/07/2022 08:58

SEOUL, July 19 (Reuters) - South Korea's domestically
developed fighter jet successfully completed its first test
flight on Tuesday, a defence agency said, amid a push to replace
ageing military jets in the face of nuclear and missile threats
from neighbouring North Korea.  
    The next-generation aircraft developed by Korea Aerospace
Industries  047810.KS  (KAI) in a project partially backed by
Indonesia is designed to be a cheaper, less stealthy alternative
to the U.S.-built F-35, on which South Korea relies.
    A prototype of the jet, dubbed KF-21, took off at 3:40 p.m.
from an air force base in the southeastern city of Sacheon, and
flew for about 30 minutes, the Defence Acquisition Program
Administration said in a statement.
    The new jet faces more testing until 2026, when mass
production is set to begin. 
    South Korea unveiled the first prototype of the KF-21 in
April last year, hailing the aircraft as the future backbone of
its air force and a step towards greater military independence
for the U.S. ally in North Asia.
    In 2014, South Korea and Indonesia agreed to jointly develop
the jet in a project worth 8.1 trillion won ($6.16 billion),
with Jakarta agreeing to pay a fifth of the cost.
    But in 2018 Indonesia sought to renegotiate the deal, to
ease pressure on its foreign exchange reserves, and later
offered to pay its share in the form of a barter.
    The two countries agreed in November that Jakarta would keep
its pledge to shoulder 20% of the development cost, including
in-kind payments for a third of its share, though they have yet
to formally revise the contract, an official said.
 ($1=1,314.3000 won)

 (Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
 ((soohyang.choi@thomsonreuters.com;))