South Korea’s KF-21 Performs First Ever Supersonic Flight

South Korea’s KF-21 Boramae combat jet has performed its first supersonic flight on January 17, 2023.

The fighter was flown by Chief Lee Dong –gyu, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).

Since its first flight in July of last year (2022), the KF-21 has continuously expanded its flight range, including altitude and speed, through more than 80 flights to date.

“… (KF-21 is the) first aircraft with a unique shape developed with domestic technology to succeed in breaking through the sound speed,” the country’s state arms procurement agency Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said in a release.

Earlier, the T-50 Golden Eagle advanced trainer broke through the speed of sound (2003), but it was developed through technical cooperation with the United States, the DAPA explained.

KAI is working to further increase the altitude / speed in the sonic range, check / verify the flight stability in the supersonic range, and continuously reflect this in system development so that the KF-21 can become a true supersonic fighter.