South Korea’s Air Force took delivery of its first production KF-21 Boramae fighter on September 22, 2026.
The aircraft, serial 001, was handed over at Korea Aerospace Industries’ (KAI) plant at Sacheon Airport (HIN), the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said in a joint announcement.
Major Han Jae-seok, one of the ROKAF’s first KF-21 pilots, signed the acceptance and delivery documents. He serves with the 156th Fighter Squadron of the 16th Fighter Wing. He then flew the jet to Yecheon Air Base, its first operating base, about 165 kilometers (approximately 103 miles) to the north.
The fighter circled over Sacheon before departing. On the way to Yecheon it was joined by an FA-50 light combat aircraft, a TA-50 lead-in fighter trainer and a T-50 advanced trainer, all KAI-built types in ROKAF service. ROKAF Chief of Staff General Son Seok-rak and officials from DAPA and KAI met the aircraft on arrival.
First KF-21 squadron begins conversion training
The 156th Fighter Squadron was formed in 1988 and flew the F-4E Phantom II until it was deactivated in 2012. The ROKAF reactivated it on June 1, 2026, as the first unit to operate the KF-21.
According to the announcement, the squadron’s first pilots have completed type training and qualified as KF-21 flight instructors. They will now run conversion training for pilots who join the unit later. Maintenance personnel have also completed specialized courses.
The ROKAF plans to use the delivered aircraft to put flight, maintenance, and logistics procedures in place before it formally declares the KF-21 operational in the second half of 2027.
Block I cleared after around 1,600 test flights
Aircraft 001 was rolled out at Sacheon on March 25, 2026, and then went through acceptance testing. DAPA judged the KF-21 fully combat suitable on May 7, 2026. That verdict covers the Block I variant, which is configured mainly for air-to-air missions.
The development program logged about 1,600 test flights and validated some 13,000 test conditions, including aerial refueling and air-to-air weapons release.
The handover came 25 years and six months after then-President Kim Dae-jung announced plans for an indigenous fighter in March 2001, and about ten years and nine months after full-scale development began in December 2015.
South Korea plans 120 KF-21s by 2032
The ROKAF intends to field more than 100 KF-21s in phases by the early 2030s. KAI has said it will deliver 40 air-to-air-focused aircraft by 2028, followed by 80 armed with long-range air-to-ground missiles by 2032, for a total of 120.
The KF-21 is set to replace the ROKAF’s F-4 and F-5 fighters. The service has said it aims to retire its remaining F-5s by the end of 2027, the same year it expects to declare the KF-21 operational.