South Korean KF-21 Fighter's Third Prototype Takes to the Skies

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration has announced the first flight of the third prototype of the KF-21 Boramae fighter on Thursday.

Prototypes 4 to 6 are expected to take to the skies in the first half of 2023.

Prototype No. 3 is scheduled to perform various area expansion tests and system performance tests, starting with the initial flight soundness test.

The structural load area expansion test is a test to confirm the rigidity of the airframe structure by measuring the load (more than several times the acceleration of gravity) applied to the airframe structure during various maneuvers. As the flight of Prototype 3 begins, it is expected that area expansion tests such as speed and structural load, which account for a large portion of system development flight tests, can be conducted more smoothly.

In addition, unlike the existing vertical tail fins of Prototype 1 and 2, Prototype 3 is painted with the image of four airplanes soaring into the sky at the same time. So far, the KF-21 is expanding its flight range by sequentially conducting tests on altitude, speed, and structural load.