DAPA tenders 900 million won sixth-generation fighter concept study as officials debate a KF-21EX-T upgrade instead

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration issued a tender, reported September 24, 2026, for a 14-month, roughly 900 million won concept study of a Korean next-generation fighter covering manned-unmanned teaming, broadband L-, S-, and X-band stealth, a tailless configuration, an adaptive variable-cycle engine, and internal weapons bays. Some officials instead favor a fifth-generation-class KF-21 upgrade, referred to as KF-21EX-T, arguing that a nearer-term evolution of the Boramae would keep the type competitive in export campaigns in Indonesia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia while a clean-sheet sixth-generation design would not fly until the 2040s. The tender formalizes the request for proposals DAPA released on August 21.