DAPA released a request for proposals on August 21, 2026 for a 14-month, roughly 900 million won ($650,000) conceptual study of a South Korean sixth-generation fighter. The study will examine two parallel stealth configurations — one tailless and one with alternative control surfaces — for a single-seat aircraft with low observability across L, S, and X bands, twin adaptive-cycle engines, and an internal weapons bay. Fielding is not expected before 2040 and no full program launch decision has been made, but the study marks the formal start of thinking beyond the KF-21 Boramae just weeks after that program completed system development. Analysts see it as a signal that Korea intends to stay in the top tier of fighter developers alongside the US, Europe, and Japan.
KAI and Hyundai Rotem signed a memorandum of understanding at KAI headquarters in Sacheon on August 12 covering joint development and systems integration of advanced airborne munitions with aircraft platforms including the KF-21, plus combined aircraft-and-weapons export packages. Hyundai Rotem takes guided-weapons and propulsion technologies; KAI supplies aircraft-platform integration. The underlying long-range air-to-air missile program is led by the Agency for Defense Development, runs from 2026 to 2033 following Defense Project Promotion Committee approval in late 2025, and is intended to cut ROKAF dependence on imported beyond-visual-range missiles such as the MBDA Meteor. This is KAI's third major weapons-integration partnership of 2026, after agreements with Hanwha Aerospace and LIG Nex1 signed in February at the World Defense Show in Riyadh.
DAPA Commissioner Lee Yong-chul presented the agency's second-half 2026 policy report to President Lee Jae-myung at the Blue House state guest house on August 5, alongside the Ministry of National Defense and Military Manpower Administration, under the theme of an "irreplaceable Republic of Korea." DAPA set five core tasks: securing key forces for self-reliant defense, innovating toward rapid and open acquisition of advanced capabilities, nurturing future security innovation firms, building a co-prosperous defense industrial base, and strengthening international cooperation and export support for K-defense. Concrete commitments include establishing the nuclear-powered submarine (Jangbogo-N) business plan within 2026 using the KSS-III development organization, moving unmanned systems and counter-drone system acquisition into full swing, and fielding three-axis capabilities such as the KF-21 and the long-range artillery interceptor (LAMD) on schedule.
Three K2 tanks and six K808 wheeled armored vehicles built by Hyundai Rotem for export were displayed at Peru's Independence Day military parade in Lima over two days from July 28, 2026 — appearing at the official event even before a final export contract has been signed. The vehicles fall under the framework agreement signed in December 2025 between Hyundai Rotem and Peruvian state firm FAME S.A.C. covering 54 K2s and 141 K808s worth roughly $2 billion, with a $270 million local plant investment and 30% local content. Defense industry officials now see a high possibility of concluding the K2 implementation contract in the second half of 2026 as Peruvian politics stabilize, and note KAI could pair it with a package proposal combining the FA-50 and KF-21 for Peru's fighter acquisition project.
With KF-21 system development formally complete, KAI said the first two production Boramae fighters are undergoing verification flights and are expected to be handed to the Republic of Korea Air Force around September-October 2026, with eight jets due by year-end. The company is also positioning for a follow-on production order from Seoul beyond the initial 20-aircraft Block I contract, while export talks with Indonesia continue despite Jakarta scaling back its commitment. The first delivery will mark the KF-21's transition from development program to operational fighter, a decisive proof point for export campaigns in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Europe.
Korea Aerospace Industries and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration held the KF-21/IF-X System Development Completion Ceremony at KAI headquarters in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang, on July 29, 2026, formally closing the roughly ten-year development program launched in 2015. About 300 people attended, including DAPA Minister Lee Yong-chul, Ministry of National Defense, Agency for Defense Development and ROK Air Force officials, representatives of some 500 domestic partner companies, defense ministry and PTDI officials from co-development partner Indonesia, and technical partner Lockheed Martin. The program completed basic and detailed design, prototype manufacturing, ground testing and flight testing, logging more than 1,600 flight trials and verifying over 13,000 test conditions without a single accident, and passed combat suitability certification in May 2026 followed by initial type certification. The 8.8 trillion won ($6.04 billion) effort, begun to replace ageing F-4 and F-5 fleets, now moves into full-rate production: the first mass-production aircraft is scheduled for delivery to the ROK Air Force around September 2026, with an initial batch of 40 air-to-air-capable jets by 2028 and a further 80 enhanced aircraft by 2032 toward a 120-aircraft target.
Indonesia has shifted from co-producing the KF-21 to buying finished aircraft, materially narrowing what was meant to be the program's anchor export. Jakarta cut its development cost contribution to 600 billion won and reduced the scope of technology transfer, and its expected purchase volume has fallen to roughly 16 units worth about 3 trillion won — down from the original plan of 48 aircraft assembled domestically. Budget constraints drove the retreat, and Indonesia has simultaneously signed for Italian M-346FA light combat aircraft while reportedly weighing French Rafales, U.S. F-15s, Turkish Kaan fighters, and Chinese J-10Cs. KAI President Kim Jong-chul has said negotiations across Southeast Asia and the Middle East exceed 200 units, with the Philippines, UAE, and Malaysia also in discussions, but analysts frame the Indonesian outcome as the first real test of whether Korea can convert KF-21 interest into finished-aircraft exports.
South Korea's KF-21 Boramae supersonic fighter has formally completed its system development phase, closing out roughly ten years of prototype manufacturing and flight testing that began in 2015. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration scheduled a "KF-21/IF-X System Development Completion Ceremony" for July 29 at Korea Aerospace Industries in Sacheon, Gyeongnam, with Ministry of National Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Air Force officials attending alongside Indonesian defense and embassy representatives from the co-development partner. The milestone moves the program into full-rate production and export marketing: the ROK Air Force plans to induct roughly 120 aircraft by 2032, with about 10 this year, 30 by 2028, 40 by 2030, and 40 by 2032. Block-II upgrades covering engine, avionics, and weapons integration are targeted for completion by 2028. The first mass-production aircraft rolled out on March 25, 2026, and Air Force deliveries of air-to-air-capable Block-I jets begin in the second half of 2026.
A Korean defense-industry official said the KF-21 Boramae's first export contract "will be announced soon," with Indonesia (reportedly around 16 units, roughly 3 trillion won), the UAE, the Philippines, and Malaysia cited as leading candidates; KAI President Kim Jong-chul said talks covering 200-plus aircraft are underway. Full-scale mass production is running, and the first mass-produced KF-21 is due to be delivered to the Republic of Korea Air Force in September 2026. KAI plans a "KF-21/IF-X System Development Completion Ceremony" in late July. No binding export contract has been signed yet — the first-customer decision remains a watch item.
LIG Nex1, through its LIG D&A defense arm, presented a roughly $2.8 billion "Total Missile Package" for the KF-21 to about 250 government, military, and industry representatives at the OSCO Convention Centre in Cheongju, aimed at replacing European air-to-air and long-range weapons with indigenous Korean munitions. The bundle covers domestic beyond-visual-range and precision-strike missiles integrated to the KF-21, reducing export and supply-chain dependence on foreign missile makers. It follows Cheonryong safe-separation integration trials on FA-50 platforms in late June that demonstrated roughly one-meter point-target accuracy.
Hanwha Aerospace and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) formalized a comprehensive partnership to advance Korea's defense and aerospace businesses across four pillars: joint development and export promotion of unmanned aircraft, development and joint marketing of aircraft integrating domestically produced engines and radars, joint entry into the global commercial space market, and cultivation of the defense/aerospace industrial ecosystem and regional supply chains. The two companies pledged to jointly discover and nurture SMEs and startups in the Gyeongnam cluster (Changwon, Geoje, Sacheon), providing annual technology support worth 300 billion won through joint R&D organizations. Industry watchers framed the tie-up — backed by Hanwha's roughly 2.5 trillion won investment in KAI shares — as assembling an air-land-sea integrated defense powerhouse aimed at the global export market, with a KF-21 export package seen as an early priority.
DAPA granted initial type certification to the KF-21 Boramae on June 15, described as the government's "final official recognition" of the aircraft's flight safety. The fighter met all 745 inspection requirements across 14 airworthiness categories including aircraft structure, weapons integration, and electronic systems. With formal system development concluding in June 2026, KAI is on track to deliver the first production KF-21 to the ROKAF in September 2026.
The US State Department approved a potential $292 million sale of 70 AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles and related equipment to South Korea. The missiles will equip ROKAF fighters including the KF-21 Boramae and F-15K Slam Eagle, bolstering air defense capabilities amid growing North Korean threats. North Korea's foreign ministry condemned the sale, warning it would worsen peninsula tensions.
DAPA announced that the KF-21 Boramae has met all criteria of its final combat suitability evaluation, clearing the Block I air-to-air variant for operational deployment after roughly 1,600 test flights and 13,000+ test conditions including aerial refueling and live weapons release. System development is set to conclude in June 2026, with the first mass-produced aircraft scheduled for delivery to the ROKAF in the second half of the year. This makes the KF-21 South Korea's first indigenous combat aircraft to achieve full combat approval.
Hanwha Aerospace raised its ownership of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) to 5.09%, crossing the 5% threshold that triggered a mandatory disclosure revising its investment purpose from "simple investment" to "participation in management." The company signaled plans to acquire an additional 500 billion won worth of KAI shares by year-end, which could lift its stake to around 8%. Hanwha is a primary KF-21 partner, producing engines under license and developing the AESA radar, IRST, and electro-optical targeting pod.
The first serial-production KF-21 Boramae fighter jet completed its maiden flight on April 15, 2026, at the ROKAF 3rd Training Wing in Sacheon — just 22 days after its official rollout ceremony on March 25. No anomalies were reported during the sortie. The milestone followed approximately 1,600 prototype test flights completed without accident between July 2022 and early 2026. Following acceptance trials and certification, deliveries to the ROKAF are planned to commence in September 2026, with 40 Block I units scheduled. KAI plans to deliver 31 aircraft in 2027 and 47 in 2028, with full operational capability targeted for 2028.
South Korea reached a working-level agreement to transfer the fifth KF-21 Boramae prototype to Indonesia, formalizing a revised financial settlement disclosed through DAPA documents submitted to the National Defense Committee. Indonesia has paid 536 billion won of a reduced 600 billion won contribution, with the remaining 64 billion won due by June 2026. The transfer advances negotiations for a separate 16-aircraft export contract.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto agreed to strengthen collaboration in energy, strategic industries, and defense during an April 1 summit. The leaders reaffirmed commitment to the KF-21 joint development program and discussed expanded defense procurement including the 16-aircraft KF-21 export deal, marking a deepening Indo-Pacific defense partnership.
South Korea is finalizing its first KF-21 Boramae export agreement with Indonesia for 16 fighters during President Prabowo's state visit. Indonesia has committed to purchasing 48 KF-21 jets total, with PT Dirgantara Indonesia participating in production.
Korea Aerospace Industries rolled out the first production KF-21 Boramae fighter at its Sacheon factory on March 25, 2026. The aircraft will undergo acceptance testing before delivery to the ROKAF in the second half of 2026.
Hanwha Aerospace and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) signed a joint development MOU for air-launched weapons at the WDS 2026, targeting long-range air-to-air missiles and supersonic air-to-surface missiles for the KF-21 Boramae and FA-50 platforms.
The KF-21 Boramae conducted its final test flight on January 12, 2026, concluding a flight test program spanning 1,600 sorties over 42 months. DAPA is set to finalize the development program in the first half of 2026.
At IndoDefense 2025, Indonesia and South Korea signed a new agreement reaffirming Indonesia's planned purchase of 48 KF-21 Boramae aircraft with PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) production participation, paving the way for the first KF-21 export.
Hanwha Systems rolled out the first mass-produced AESA radar for the KF-21 Boramae fighter, featuring approximately 1,000 T/R modules and 150-200 km detection range. The radar is a critical indigenous component of Korea's 4.5-generation fighter.
DAPA held a ceremony marking the start of final assembly for the first mass-produced KF-21 Boramae at KAI's Sacheon facility. The milestone follows completion of all flight test objectives and moves the program from development to serial production.
The KF-21 Boramae has completed its full flight test program, including weapons integration tests with air-to-air missiles. The achievement clears the path for initial operational capability and serial production.
Korea Aerospace Industries has received approval to begin low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the KF-21 Boramae fighter. The first production batch will include 40 Block 1 aircraft for the Republic of Korea Air Force.
Korea Aerospace Industries' KF-21 Boramae 4.5-generation fighter achieved its first supersonic flight, breaking Mach 1.0 during a test flight from Sacheon Air Base. The milestone brings Korea closer to indigenous advanced fighter production.