The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 BORAMAE 4.5 generation combat fighter will gain ground-attack capability ahead of schedule. Durign ADEX 2025, a company official told FW MAG that KAI remains “on track to complete all flight-test activities for the KF-21 by June 2026.” The first aircraft to be delivered to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) will be Block 1 variants capable of Air-to-Air engagements only. Air-to-ground capability for the KF-21 was earlier due on Block 2 variants around December 2028.

However, South Korea’s Defence Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA) recently announced that the effort to integrate additional air-to-ground weapons capabilities on the KF-21 fighter jet would be accelerated. The Government has now approved additional weapons testing for KF-21 Air-to-ground capability, which is expected to be gradually available from the first half of 2027. Unveiled at Seoul ADEX for the first time was a model of the KF-21 with a Hypersonic Air-to-ground Missile (HAGM). Development of this South Korean hypersonic weapon is under way and is some time away from operational service.

The KAI official said the Block 2 variant will be capable of deploying a range of precision-guided munitions and stand-off weapons. “The only change will be to the weapons as compared to the KF-21 Block 1,” he said. Indicative ground-attack weapons that will be available on KF-21 Block 2 variants are the Korean glide bomb (KGGB), MBDA Spear and GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb and GBU-56. 70-80 percent of the KF-21s to be delivered to the ROKAF will be single-seat aircraft, with the remaining being fully combat-capable twin-seat trainer aircraft.

One of the key drivers behind South Korea’s decision to proceed with the development of its own 4.5 gen combat aircraft, was the need to maintain operational sovereignty – the ability to modify the aircraft and integrate new weapons and sensors as needed without dependence on a foreign aircraft manufacturer. The official added that development of the FA-50 PL aircraft was progressing smoothly. KAI is also proposing upgrades to its KT-1 basic trainer.

South Korean firm LIG Nex1 displayed a wide range of missiles that will be carried aboard the KF-21, including the Korea Air Launched Cruise Missile (KALCM). It is also developing a Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile (SRAAM) and Long-Range Air-to-Air Missile (LRAAM). The SRAAM will be a domestic alternative to the Iris-T, while the LRAAM will be an indigenous alternative to the Meteor BVRAAM. The latter is being jointly developed by LIG Nex1 and Hyundai Rotem. The KF-21 will also carry LIG Nex1’s LIG Multi-purpose Cruise Missile (L-MCM), LIG Modular & Smart Missile (L-MSM) and a Supersonic Anti-Ship Missile (SASM).

KAI also unveiled its collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) concepts which will operate alongside KF-21 Block III variants post 2030. A model of the Medium CCA (MUCCA), showed a heavily armed platform with four hardpoints carrying 2 METEOR BVRAAMs, 4 SPEAR munitions (on a single hard point), 2 ALCMs on a combined launcher and GBU-39 SDB in the internal bay.

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