The first KF-21 "Boramae," South Korea's homegrown fighter jet, was delivered to the Air Force on the 22nd, marking the aircraft's entry into service.
The jet was handed over that afternoon at Korea Aerospace Industries' (KAI) plant in Sacheon. Maj. Han Jae-seok, one of the Air Force's first KF-21 pilots, signed the acceptance and delivery document for the first mass-produced KF-21, formally completing the induction.
The aircraft circled the skies over Sacheon to convey a message of gratitude to those who worked on the KF-21's development and production before heading to Yecheon Air Base, its first operational base.
One each of the domestically built FA-50, TA-50 and T-50 aircraft flew in formation alongside the jet to welcome the first KF-21.
The delivery comes 25 years and six months after President Kim Dae-jung declared a plan to develop a homegrown fighter jet in March 2001, and about 10 years and nine months after full-scale development began in December 2015.
The first unit to operate the KF-21 is the 156th Fighter Squadron under the 16th Fighter Wing. The squadron, established in 1988, flew F-4E Phantoms before being disbanded in 2012. The Air Force reactivated it in June this year after 14 years and assigned it the mission of operating the KF-21 first.
"All service members who will operate the KF-21 should take great pride and bear heavy responsibility in flying a premium fighter jet made in the Republic of Korea, and work together so that the KF-21 can quickly establish itself as the highest power defending the Republic of Korea," Air Force Chief of Staff Son Seok-rak said.
The Air Force plans to declare the KF-21 operational in the second half of next year and deploy it in actual missions. Starting with this first aircraft, the Air Force will phase in more than 100 KF-21s by the early 2030s.
