Development of Korea’s KF-X Fighter is Nearly Complete
This will be a big accomplishment by South Korea’s aerospace industry once complete:
![Engineers in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang on Wednesday work on a nearly completed prototype of the country's first indigenously developed fighter jet. [YONHAP]](https://i0.wp.com/koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2021/03/01/0f4e8976-6645-46bb-9258-cc5e9dcd9d1b.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)
A nearly completed prototype of Korea’s first indigenous fighter jet was unveiled to the media in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang on Wednesday ahead of its official rollout in April.
Joong Ang Ilbo
Jung Kwang-sun, chief of the Korea Fighter Experimental (KF-X) project of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), said the first domestically produced fighter jet will be a “landmark moment” for the country and its aerospace industry.
Aimed at replacing the Air Force’s dated McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and Northrop F-5 fighter jets, the 92-percent-completed KF-X prototype is the first fruit of a development project that began in 2015, led by Korea’s sole aircraft manufacturer, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).
You can read more at the link.
The pea soup green and hydrocarbon gray is a brilliant color scheme to keep the aircraft visually stealthy when flying in Korea’s airspace.
It just needs a speckling of nitrous oxide yellow.
Silly CH, that is the same paint job as the abandoned strategic bombers rusting away on abandoned airfields across Russia.
Perhaps they’re trying to lull the CCP into thinking they’ve “cut out the middleman”.
If that’s not the plan, I’m not entirely certain how they’ll get all 120 planned to fit on Dokdo; but that might be part of the “stealth” function. Or, since they won’t be ready for 7-10 years, there’s time to build an island fortress like Winnie has been doing in the South China Sea…
These will be an important part of Korea’s carrier group… which seems oddly unnecessary, as Korea is similar in shape to one big unsinkable carrier.
Investing in mountainside hangers and great air defense seems more practical.
…or maybe South Korea has dreams of projecting power!
…perhaps offering air support to Free Koreatown nail shops and singing rooms when California goes full communist.
Ah, I remember the good old days of the 00s when I was so proud that Korea was running a budget surplus.