The first prototype of the South Korean KF-21 supersonic fighter jet conducted its first flight test.

This is reported by Yonhap News Agency.

The KF-21 Boramae fighter jet prototype flew from the 3rd Flying Training Wing of the Republic of Korea Air Force Base in Sacheon at around 3:40 p.m. local time on Tuesday and landed safely at 4:13 p.m.

During the test, the fighter flew at a speed of about 400 kilometers per hour.

The first aircraft built under the KF-X program was presented to the public in April last year. The aircraft was named KF-21 Boramae.

This is a joint project of the Republic of Korea and Indonesia with 80% / 20% participation, respectively. The declared cost of the program amounted to $5.2 billion.

KF-21 is a twin-engine supersonic aircraft with a length of 13 m, a height of 4.5 m and a wingspan of 14 m. There will also be a two-seater version of this combat aircraft.

The plan is to build 40 aircraft by 2028 and 120 by 2032. Prior to the serial production, 6 prototypes will be built, three of them in 2022. 65% of all components are Korean made.

According to the Korean Aerospace Industries, KF-21 is not classified as a 5-generation fighter aircraft, because the fighter will carry weapons on external suspensions instead of the internal compartment.

Indonesia recalled its engineers in 2020, citing COVID, but there was growing speculation at the time that Jakarta was trying to end the joint fighter development project and buy another fighter jet.

But in August 2021, 32 Indonesian engineers underwent administrative procedures to return to the Korea Aerospace Industries aircraft factory.

In addition to the 32 engineers, about 100 employees in total were due to return to the South Korean plant by the end of last year after Indonesia reaffirmed its commitment to the project.