KAI hands over aircraft at Sacheon factory; historic first sortie at Yecheon base
FA-50, TA-50 and T-50 formation provides aerial welcome; over 100 jets to follow
South Korea delivered the first production unit of its domestically developed KF-21 Boramae fighter jet to the air force Tuesday, marking a milestone 25 years and six months after former President Kim Dae-jung announced the indigenous fighter development program in March 2001, and nearly 10 years and nine months after full-scale development began in December 2015.
The air force said a handover ceremony for the KF-21 production aircraft was held Tuesday afternoon at Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) factory in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province. Maj. Han Jae-seok, one of the air force's first KF-21 pilots, signed the delivery documents, formally completing the service's acceptance of the aircraft.
Han immediately boarded aircraft No. 001, started the engine and took off, circling over Sacheon to salute the development and production teams below. En route to Yecheon Air Base — the jet's first operational home — one FA-50, one TA-50 and one T-50 flew in formation alongside to greet the KF-21 in the air.
No. 001 made a pass over Yecheon before landing, and Han reported the completion of the delivery flight to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Son Seok-rak, who was waiting on the flight line.
"The KF-21, born by overcoming countless challenges and obstacles, joined the air force and took to the skies today," Son said. "If yesterday belonged to the policymakers, developers and producers of the Boramae program, today marks the beginning of the air force's time."
He urged all personnel who will fly and maintain the aircraft to take pride in operating a world-class, homegrown fighter and to work together to establish the KF-21 as "the highest force protecting the Republic of Korea" as quickly as possible.
Han said he was overcome with emotion the moment he started the engine of No. 001 — the jet that will defend the country in practice. "Now that the KF-21's controls are in the hands of air force pilots, I will dedicate everything to protecting the Republic of Korea," he said.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) handed over No. 001 to the air force two years and three months after launching initial KF-21 production in June 2024. The KF-21 is a 4.5th-generation Korean multirole fighter developed to replace aging aircraft such as the F-4 and F-5 and to prepare for future combat environments. The name "Boramae" is a native Korean word meaning a young falcon.
The KF-21 prototype rolled out in April 2021 and completed its maiden flight in July 2022. Over roughly 1,600 test flights, the aircraft validated more than 13,000 test conditions, including aerial refueling and air-to-air missile launches. Based on those results, it received a combat-ready certification in May this year and completed system development in June. The first production aircraft rolled off the line in March and underwent an acceptance process before delivery.
DAPA Administrator Lee Yong-cheol called the handover "a historic achievement for self-reliant national defense," saying it demonstrated South Korea's independent capability to develop and mass-produce an advanced fighter jet and marked the first step toward full operational deployment.
KAI Chief Executive Kim Jong-chul described the milestone as "the fruit of more than a decade of work by the government and domestic industry, academia and research institutions operating as one team," and pledged to deliver aircraft on schedule and provide complete logistical support.
Ahead of the delivery, the air force reactivated the 156th Fighter Squadron — the KF-21's first operational unit. Originally established in 1988 to fly the F-4E Phantom and disbanded in 2012, the squadron was revived in June this year after a 14-year hiatus to take on the KF-21's inaugural operational mission. Its initial cadre of pilots completed flight training and earned instructor qualifications, and will conduct transition training for subsequent pilots assigned to the type. Maintenance personnel have also completed specialized training in their respective fields, becoming the jet's first certified ground crew.
Starting with No. 001, the air force plans to introduce more than 100 KF-21s in stages through the early 2030s. The service will use the incoming aircraft to conduct pilot transition and maintenance training, progressively building out its flight and maintenance operations framework before declaring initial operational capability in the second half of next year and committing the jets to active duty.
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