There are reports that full-scale serial production of the KF-21 Boramae will start with 40 aircraft per year. I don't think anyone would dispute the idea that in the medium term, we may have a better prospect of certifying the Turkish munitions group with our Korean friends for KF-21 than with other potential counterparts. We have years of significant business development and procurement experience with Korea, especially in the defense bureaucracy.
Moreover, last year, the KF-21N variant studies were announced in line with the potential long-term goals of the Korean navy. As far as I know, the ROKN does not have such a request yet and it is not a formalized issue, but it also reveals the expansion potential of KAI's KF-21 program.
In short, instead of waiting for the green light from the Germans for EF for almost 2 years, or for additional F-16s, we could have considered the purchase of 2 squadrons of fighters from Korea.