KF-21 fighter jet prototype successfully launched Meteor missile
29 March, 2023 Launch of the Meteor missile from the KF-21 fighter, March 28, 2023. Frame from the video South Korea conducted the first weapons tests on prototypes of the KF-21 fighter jet.
Yonhap News Agency reported this with reference to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). The tests involved the second and third prototypes of the KF-21 fighter. The second prototype launched the Meteor air-to-air mid-range missile made by MBDA.
The third KF-21 prototype fired 100 rounds from a M61A2 20mm Gatling gun. The Meteor missile manufactured by MBDA can hit targets at a distance of up to 200 km.
The length of the missile is 3.6 meters, and the weight is 180 kg. The missile is designed to hit air targets beyond visual range and is capable of reaching speeds of up to 4 Mach (about 4.6 thousand kilometers per hour). Tests took place off the southern coast of South Korea.
The aircraft took off from the 3rd Flying Training Wing in Sacheon, which is 300 km away from Seoul. The tests examined possible changes to the aircraft's design, engines, and aerodynamic characteristics during the weapon's operation. Following the tests, DAPA reported that KF-21 had taken "another step" to become a "complete fighter jet" to protect the country's airspace.
Launch of the Meteor missile from the KF-21 fighter, March 28, 2023. Frame from the video
Next, the South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration will conduct a number of tests at low and high altitudes and different speeds.
There are also plans to test other weapons. In the future, the plan is to arm the aircraft with weapons produced by South Korea. Those would be air-to-air, air-to-surface, anti-ship, and anti-radiation missiles.
Currently, four prototypes of the KF-21 are undergoing flight tests. According to the plan, six prototypes of the fighter jet will be involved in the tests, which will last until 2026.
KF-21
At the end of February 2023, a prototype of the promising multifunctional combat aircraft KF-21 Boramae in a two-seat version made its first flight.
The first flight of the KF-21 Boramae fighter prototype in the two-seat version, February 2023. Photo from the media
The first and second prototypes of the KF-21 first took to the sky in July and November 2022, respectively, and the third in January 2023.
All of them were a single-seat version, and the fourth is a two-seat version. The presentation of the first aircraft built under the KF-X program took place in April last year. The new aircraft was named KF-21 Boramae.
This is a joint project of the Republic of Korea and Indonesia, with 80% and 20% participation, respectively. It is a twin-engine supersonic combat aircraft 13 meters long, 4.5 meters high, and has a wingspan of 14 meters. It is planned to build 40 aircraft by 2028 and 120 by 2032.
First flight of the KF-21 Boramae prototype, July 2022
In November 2022, the fifth KF-21 Boramae prototype was presented.
It was planned to be handed over to Indonesia.
In January 2023, the KF-21 prototype fighter jet reached supersonic speed during a test flight.