President Lee Jae Myung hailed the first mass-produced KF-21 fighter jet as a symbol of self-reliant defense during a ceremony on March 25 in Sacheon. He vowed to elevate South Korea to one of the world's top four defense powers. The Air Force plans to deploy 120 jets starting in September after evaluations.
President Lee Jae Myung attended the rollout ceremony for South Korea's first mass-produced KF-21 fighter jet on March 25 at the Korea Aerospace Industries headquarters in Sacheon, 296 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Speaking at the event, Lee said, 'South Korea has finally secured weapons to protect peace with its own technology not only on land and sea but also in the air.' He added, 'The KF-21 fighter jets, designed with our own technology and built with our own hands, are finally being rolled out. This fighter jet embodies the fervent aspirations for self-reliant defense that we have dreamed of for more than half a century.' The KF-21 program, launched in 2015 to replace aging U.S.-made F-4 and F-5 jets, follows a vision outlined by then-President Kim Dae-jung in March 2001. It cost 8.1 trillion won ($5.5 billion) and overcame challenges including the U.S. denial of transfers for four key technologies: active electronically scanned array radar, infrared search and track systems, electro-optical targeting equipment, and radio frequency jammers. The timeline was shortened by 18 months. The Air Force plans to deploy 120 jets starting in September after performance evaluations, with a current localization rate of around 65 percent. Lee hailed prior successes like K9 self-propelled howitzers and Cheongung missiles, vowing to advance to the top four global defense powers and pursue exports, including a planned deal for 16 jets to Indonesia.
