First production KF-21 Boramae delivered to the Air Force, flying from Sacheon to Yecheon

Korea Aerospace Industries handed over the first production KF-21 Boramae to the Republic of Korea Air Force on September 22, 2026, ten years and nine months after system development began in December 2015. The two-seat Block I aircraft, flown by Maj. Han Jae-seok, departed KAI's Sacheon plant escorted by an FA-50, a TA-50, and a T-50 and landed at Yecheon Air Base, where it joins the 156th Fighter Squadron of the 16th Fighter Wing, reactivated on June 1, 2026 for the type. The Air Force plans to declare operational capability in the second half of 2027, field 40 Block I aircraft by 2028 and 80 Block II by 2032, and eventually operate more than 100 KF-21s. Sources differ on the tail number, reported as either 25-001 or 26-001.