Korea KF-X/ IF-X (KF-21) program

[MADDOG]

The drone in the last picture was an earlier design iteration of the "KUS-X" stealth UCAV program based on the KAORI-X ("Stingray-X") demonstrator. KAI lost the bid to KAL (Korean Airlines), so there's only this official government funded project ongoing.

Korean Airline also presented a smaller reduced RCS-drone "Loyal Wingman" at DX 2022: KUS-LW
View attachment 57454

View attachment 57455

KAL's future vision is that KUS-LWs will fulfill different tasks in a drone squad (based on swarm AI): models with recon radar, others with EW systems, escorts with air-to-air missiles, ground attack models will fly missions in team with bigger KUS-FC drones or KF-21 as MUM-T.

This somewhat funny PC-gamelike animation shows the future drone squad concept against North Korean Mig-29s (hahaha! guess they didn't want to use Chinese J-20s) and enemy ground targets.

I see. Thank you for the clarification.

 

[Umigami]

Second Indonesian KF-21 pilot to fly

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1664860786869805056

 

[Afif]

I have zero idea why on earth Indonesia is spending over $8 billions for Rafale when this little beast is almost ready!

 

[Umigami]

I have zero idea why on earth Indonesia is spending over $8 billions for Rafale when this little beast is almost ready!

Because KF21 isn't a mature product yet (only air superiority capability now). And French with their Autonomie stratégique make us can use Rafale more "freely" than US stuff (or stuff with a lot of US tech).

Rafale can carry more fuel too, hence more range.

 

[Umigami]

But of course we stay in KFX program because Boramae is better platform and has future growth.

for example, Rafale has small and more pointed radome. It's aerodynamically better but it has limited space so we can't put radar with more T/R module inside it. RBE2 AESA is still Gallium arsenic based too.

 

[Afif]

But of course we stay in KFX program because Boramae is better platform and has future growth.

for example, Rafale has small and more pointed radome. It's aerodynamically better but it has limited space so we can't put radar with more T/R module inside it. RBE2 AESA is still Gallium arsenic based too.

That's what I was going to say.
But i read they will add GaN modules in F4.1

Also, relatively low RCS another + point for KFX.

 

[Umigami]

Is there equivalent of Rafale's SPECTRA system inside Boramae?

 

[Afif]

Is there equivalent of Rafale's SPECTRA system inside Boramae?

I read LIG NEX1 developing it..
Did I spell the company’s name correctly?
Ah, Let me see.

Edit- yes it is.

 

[Chocopie]

Second Indonesian KF-21 pilot to fly

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1664860786869805056

Just to clarify: Both Indonesian test pilots experienced a ride on the back seat of the KF-21 No. 004 two-seat prototype while the plane is piloted by a Korean test pilot during the whole flight.

According to military officials, Indonesian pilots will be allowed to test pilot a KF-21 prototype themselves if the delayed and outstanding payment issue is resolved.

Yonhap article from May 16th, 2023:

(SEOUL) By Kim Seung-wook and Park Soo-yoon -- A pilot from Indonesia, a co-developer of the indigenous supersonic fighter KF-21 (Boramae), was confirmed to have boarded the prototype No. 4 for the first time on Saturday.

A military source said an Indonesian pilot participated for the first time in a test flight of the KF-21 Type 4 at the 3rd Training Flight Group in Sacheon, Gyeongnam Province, later in the day.

The Type-4 is a double-seat aircraft with a cockpit divided into front and rear seats and two pilots, unlike the previous type, which is a single-seat aircraft.

On this test flight, the Korean pilot took the controls while the Indonesian pilot sat in the rear seat. The first flight of the prototype aircraft took place on Feb. 20.

"Indonesian Air Force test pilots flew the first KF-21/IF-X Falcon today," an Indonesian official said in a photo and post on social media. IF-X is the Indonesian designation for the KF-21.

"According to the bilateral agreement, Indonesian pilots deployed to South Korea are to participate in flight training to a certain extent," the military official said, adding, "The extent of their participation will be determined based on further developments as the issue of cost-sharing has not yet been resolved."

Indonesia is expected to pay 20 percent of the KF-21's total development cost of 8.8 trillion won
($ 6.74 billion) , or about 1.7 trillion won ($1.3 billion) , by 2026.

However, after paying only 227.2 billion won ($174 million) until January 2019, the country has not paid its share for nearly four years, citing budget shortfalls, and only paid another 9.4 billion won ($7.2 million) in November last year and about 41.7 billion won ($31.9 million) in February this year.

The government said it is in detailed discussions with Indonesia, which is expected to inform it of its payment plan by the end of next month.

If Indonesia pays its overdue contribution, it will receive a single unit, the prototype 5, which successfully flew for the first time today, as well as various technical materials.

인도네시아 조종사, 오늘 한국산 KF-21 4호기 첫 탑승 | 연합뉴스

(서울=연합뉴스) 김승욱 박수윤 기자 = 국산 초음속 전투기 KF-21(보라매)의 공동개발국인 인도네시아의 조종사가 16일 시제 4호기에 처음으...

www.yna.co.kr

 

[Chocopie]

In Türkiye, there is a saying from the Nasreddin Hoca joke."Whoever gives the money blows the whistle"

Maybe they‘ll go for TFX Kaan instead …

 

[Bürküt]

Maybe they‘ll go for TFX Kaan instead …

I think they would have joined from the very beginning , If they believed that the Turks could make such a fighter jet .The development of Korea's defense industry and Türkiye's are quite different.Türkiye wants full independence of the platform from the very beginning while developing TFX.It should be ITAR free, can be used freely,should be easily exportable and a geopolitical influence should be exerted over it.Of course, this has a financial and temporal burden on the program.On the other hand, Korea seems to be content with having a certain autonomy in the systems it uses in the short-medium term.And seems to be trying too unobtrusively to secure the feasibility of the program.Although this has financial and temporal advantages, it has certain disadvantages of course.There will be certain problems in exporting this platform against USA interests.And it will not be used with the desired efficiency to gain geopolitical influence.This somehow undermines Indonesia's faith in the program.A more ITAR-free Turkish platform might make more sense than a Korean platform that is a little more dependent on USA.So why not.?Of course, these are my own opinions.

 

[GoatsMilk]

Could Turkiye not buy this to fill the gap until their plane is ready? forget the F16's purchase that the USA keeps delaying?

 

[Umigami]

Could Turkiye not buy this to fill the gap until their plane is ready?

Turkiye plan to buy Boramae?

 

[AzeriTank]

Turkiye plan to buy Boramae?

0 chance
Turkey plan to mass produce Kizilelma and Anka 3 in 2024, and Hurjet in 2025, plus mass production of air defense missiles(even ballistic missiles with maneuver to pass air defenses).
Turkey only played f16 games for election purpose as there were many people still angry that why Turkey didnt get f35

 

[Chocopie]

I think they would have joined from the very beginning , If they believed that the Turks could make such a fighter jet .The development of Korea's defense industry and Türkiye's are quite different.Türkiye wants full independence of the platform from the very beginning while developing TFX.It should be ITAR free, can be used freely,should be easily exportable and a geopolitical influence should be exerted over it.Of course, this has a financial and temporal burden on the program.On the other hand, Korea seems to be content with having a certain autonomy in the systems it uses in the short-medium term.And seems to be trying too unobtrusively to secure the feasibility of the program.Although this has financial and temporal advantages, it has certain disadvantages of course.There will be certain problems in exporting this platform against USA interests.And it will not be used with the desired efficiency to gain geopolitical influence.This somehow undermines Indonesia's faith in the program.A more ITAR-free Turkish platform might make more sense than a Korean platform that is a little more dependent on USA.So why not.?Of course, these are my own opinions.

The possibility of an Indonesian procurement is there. But better get the payment upfront or Türkiye has to pre-finance it with national loans …

Budget and time restraints are dictating the KFX project. ITAR was never a priority. In the next years ROKAF has to retire and replace over 185 F-5 E/F light fighters with 60 FA-50s and 120 KF-21s. For stealth aircraft they procured enough F-35As and have F-15Ks as air-superiority and stand-off strike fighters.

Over the years they had to convince the public (politicians) of the advantages having a domestic 4.5 gen fighter:
- very low costs per flight hour
- very high spare parts availability
- very high operational readiness
- many options for upgrades and integration of homegrown weapons like BVRAAMs, ALCM, guided bombs and hypersonic missiles (which further reduces procurement costs)

In liberal democracies taxpayers want justifications for what their money is spent. An oversized budget for an ambitious 5th gen stealth fighter wouldn‘t have seen the light. Therefore core stealth technologies (RAM, conformal sensors, IWB, sensor fusion etc.) have been parallelly developed and will be applied in the ongoing stealth UAV project.

Out of my memory, in 2020 Japan estimated the development costs for their 6th gen F-X at $48 billion!!! That‘s the reason why they teamed up with UK and Italy to share the cost burden. If Korea would announce a nuclear weapon project the public wouldn‘t blink an eye and pump money into it without many questions (70% see the need of nuclear deterrence).

With KF-21 Block III and a clean-sheet new 5th gen design in the future Korea follows an less risky iterative path.

 

[Umigami]

Final prototype

 

[urban mine]

South Korea's sixth and final KF-21 Boramae prototpye aircraft successfully completed its maiden flight on 28 June 2023.

I thought it would make its maiden flight in July due to the rainy season, but it's nice to be proven wrong. KF-21 block 1 will begin Low rate initial production in 2024 to further test and inspect the facilities needed for production, followed by full-scale mass production in 2026, with 40 units delivered to the ROK Air Force by 2028.

Then, in 2028, mass production of block 2 will begin.

By 2026, these six prototypes will support the development of the fighter through more than 2,000 flight tests.

 

[Afif]

I am wondering when will they offer it for export.

 

[urban mine]

I am wondering when will they offer it for export.

I don't know, my guess is it won't be until 2028.

The ROKAF's KF-5s need to be replaced urgently, and we need time to make sure that the production capacity of the facility is equal to the actual target. According to KAI, it can produce 2-3 KF-21s and 4 FA-50s per month.

 

[GoatsMilk]

Turkiye plan to buy Boramae?

We can't get F35's, they are messing us around over old F16's, if the timing lines up it would make sense to buy these. But i suspect if the engines are american they will create problems to stop us from being able to purchase them.