Seoul: Korea Aerospace Industries Co. (KAI), South Korea's sole aircraft manufacturer, has announced the signing of a second contract with the state defense procurement agency to produce KF-21 fighter jets. The contract, valued at 2.39 trillion won (US$1.76 billion), involves the production of 20 KF-21 units, along with associated logistics support, including technical manuals and training.
According to Yonhap News Agency, this agreement is part of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration's (DAPA) initiative, approved in early 2024, to deliver a total of 40 KF-21 fighter jets to the Air Force by 2028. KAI had previously entered into a 1.96 trillion-won contract with DAPA in June 2024 for the production of the first batch of 20 KF-21s.
The delivery of the first batch of KF-21 fighter jets to the Air Force is scheduled to commence in the second half of 2026. South Korea initiated the KF-21 development program in collaboration with Indonesia in 2015, aiming to develop a homegrown supersonic fighter to replace the country's aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 jets.
DAPA has been conducting a series of performance tests on six KF-21 prototypes since the first prototype's maiden flight in July 2022.