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

[Passenger]

I think that ROK has adopted an intelligent approach to developing KF-X. Design an airframe that can be converted to an IWB airframe without re-starting design from scratch, resulting in an aircraft that is very competitive cost-wise with sophisticated 4G fighters, then modify the design to give ROK air force a 5G fighter and address the 5G export market.

ROK could be selling a 4G Rafale/F-16 competitor for quite a few years and also a 5G competitor to F-35 (and KAAN and AMCA when they appear) for many more years.

Maybe it will be called as KF-35.

 

[urban mine]

The video has been released. It doesn't move me the way it used to, but I'm still happy.

 

[urban mine]

Maybe it will be called as KF-35.

General RoK Air Force News & Developments

I looked up the ROKAF igloos after watching the FPV raid on a Russian air base . HAS from the USAF are also in the mix. But the Russian Air Force's losses can't be attributed solely to the lack of these hardened shelters. Who would have thought that a truck-mounted FPV could attack a strategic...

defencehub.live

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Future next-generation fighters may well be based on this testbed. Of course, the KF-21 probably won’t remain merely a 4.5-generation fighter either, but we’ll have to wait for the Air Force to make a clear statement before we can be sure.

 

[urban mine]

한화시스템, KF-21 '전자광학 표적획득추적장비' 양산 착수

한화시스템이 개발한 한국형 전투기(KF-21) 전자광학 표적획득추적장비(EO TGP)가 지난 2024년 첫 비행 시제 출고를 앞두고 관측 및 레이저 성능 시험을 하고 있다. 한화시스템 제공 [파이낸셜뉴스] 한화시스템이 한국형 전투기 KF-21에 탑재될 '전자광학 표적획득추적장비'(EO TGP) 양산에 착수한다. 한화시스템은 한국항공우주

v.daum.net

Hanwha Systems announced on the 20th that it has signed its first mass production contract with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) for the Electro-Optical Target Acquisition and Tracking System (EOTGP) to be installed on the KF-21.

The contract is valued at approximately 92 billion won, and delivery is scheduled to be completed by November 30, 2028.

 

[Pokemonte13]

Is that a sniper pod?

 

[Sanchez]

Is that a sniper pod?

No, it just looks like one. Like how Aselpod looks like Litening.

 

[TR_123456]

Is that a sniper pod?

''Electro-Optical Target Acquisition and Tracking System (EOTGP)''
So,yes.

 

[urban mine]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2046263982265335995

Here is a detailed article on the Korean Next-Generation Fighter Testbed development program.

 

[urban mine]

한화시스템, KF-21 '전자광학 표적획득추적장비' 양산 착수

한화시스템이 개발한 한국형 전투기(KF-21) 전자광학 표적획득추적장비(EO TGP)가 지난 2024년 첫 비행 시제 출고를 앞두고 관측 및 레이저 성능 시험을 하고 있다. 한화시스템 제공 [파이낸셜뉴스] 한화시스템이 한국형 전투기 KF-21에 탑재될 '전자광학 표적획득추적장비'(EO TGP) 양산에 착수한다. 한화시스템은 한국항공우주

v.daum.net

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Hanwha Systems announced on the 20th that it has signed its first mass production contract with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) for the Electro-Optical Target Acquisition and Tracking System (EOTGP) to be installed on the KF-21.

The contract is valued at approximately 92 billion won, and delivery is scheduled to be completed by November 30, 2028.

Block 2 is currently being tested. The EOTGP has been covered.

 

[urban mine]

KF-21 Fighter Receives Final Combat Suitability Approval, Marking the Start of the 'Air Sovereignty' Era After Passing 13,000 Tests

Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea Air Force Son Seok-rak is seen conducting a test flight aboard a KAI KF-21 Boramae fighter jet on Nov. 5 last year at Sacheon Air Base, during his first command flight since taking office. Provided by the Air

en.fnnews.com

South Korea's KAI KF-21 Boramae, the fighter jet set to defend the nation's airspace, has cleared the final hurdle for operational deployment. The latest combat suitability approval carries major strategic significance, as it gives South Korea, a country that now fields a domestically developed supersonic fighter, greater autonomy in air operations in Northeast Asia. By securing independence in weapons integration, the military is expected to gain the ability to freely incorporate the systems it needs, making the aircraft a key asset in maintaining the regional balance of power.

■ More than 1,600 test flights, 13,000 test conditions fully verified
According to DAPA on the 7th, the KF-21 Boramae program has received combat suitability approval, the final gate in system development. The result follows about three years of rigorous follow-up testing after the aircraft received provisional combat suitability approval in May 2023. Since development began in 2015, the KF-21 has completed more than 1,600 flight tests and fully verified more than 13,000 demanding test conditions, including aerial refueling and weapons launches, meeting the Air Force's operational requirements.

The approval confirms all performance capabilities of the KF-21 Block I, which covers basic performance and air-to-air capability. With system development set to conclude in June this year, the first mass-produced aircraft is expected to be delivered to the Air Force in the second half of the year. It will then be deployed in stages and is expected to become a core asset in air defense.
The KF-21's design philosophy is forward-looking. In the Block I phase, it adopted a semi-conformal configuration that places weapons on the lower exterior of the fuselage, but the aircraft was reportedly designed with a fifth-generation stealth fighter concept in mind, allowing for future full internal weapons carriage. This evolutionary approach has helped position the KF-21 as more than just a 4.5-generation fighter. It is seen as a growth platform that can be upgraded into a fully stealth-capable aircraft suited to future battlefield conditions through internal weapons integration.