A prototype KF-21 homegrown supersonic fighter takes off from the Air Force’s 3rd Flying Training Wing in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, Wednesday. Joint Press Corps
SACHEON, South Gyeongsang Province — A KF-21 fighter roared down the runway at Sacheon Air Base on Wednesday morning, before climbing into the sky as maintenance crews watched from below.
A few hundred meters away, inside Korea Aerospace Industries’ (KAI) final assembly plant, rows of additional KF-21s sat in various stages of production, surrounded by engineers, robotic systems and wiring equipment.
The scene reflected not only Korea’s first domestically developed supersonic fighter program, but also the Air Force’s broader effort to prepare for a future increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence (AI) and unmanned systems.
The Air Force and KAI opened parts of the Sacheon base and production facilities to reporters this week during a media tour centered on the KF-21 Boramae program.
While the final assembly line had previously been shown during the rollout ceremony for the first production aircraft in March, the Air Force said this was the first time reporters were allowed to see nearly the entire batch of initial production fighters — around 20 aircraft — assembled together inside the facility.
A second production-model KF-21 was also unveiled to the media for the first time.
Inside the assembly building, automated robots drilled holes connecting the wings and fuselage while workers installed wiring and hydraulic systems inside the aircraft. The fighter’s front, center and rear fuselage sections were assembled separately before being joined using laser-guided positioning systems.
KAI officials said automation has become a growing part of the company’s aircraft production process as it prepares for larger-scale manufacturing in the coming years. The company said it aims to build capacity to produce more than 20 aircraft annually as the KF-21 enters full-scale deployment.
The KF-21 is Korea’s first homegrown supersonic fighter jet, developed to replace the Air Force’s aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 fighters.
Source: Korea Times News
