South Korea Announces KF-21 Jet Price

South Korea has disclosed unit pricing for its indigenous KF-21 Boramae fighter, setting the Block 1 air-superiority variant at about $83 million and the Block 2 multirole version at roughly $112 million, as the program advances toward mass production in 2026.

According to Clash Report, the figures, discussed on the defense-focused show Bon Game 2, mark a rare case of transparent pricing for a newly developed supersonic fighter and place cost at the center of South Korea’s domestic replacement and export strategy.

The price gap reflects mission scope rather than airframe changes. Block 1, focused on air superiority and air defense, will be produced in 40 aircraft for the Republic of Korea Air Force between late 2026 and 2028 and includes a modern airframe, low-observable shaping, and an indigenous AESA radar. Block 2, planned at around 80 aircraft, expands to full air-to-ground operations, with its higher price—about 161.5 billion KRW—driven by added weapons and strike systems, the report said.

Although officially classified as a 4.5-generation fighter, the KF-21 is being positioned against more expensive variants of legacy Western platforms.

South Korea links the cost structure to production scale and domestic supply chains, aiming to complete flight testing of six prototypes by June 2026 to stabilize early batch pricing. The KF-21 is reportedly being described as a “complementary” fighter rather than a substitute for U.S. fifth-generation jets, a narrative reinforced by the disclosed prices.

For comparison, published estimates place the F-35 at about $80–$110 million depending on variant, the Rafale at roughly $100–$125 million or more for exports, the Eurofighter Typhoon at about $90–$120 million or higher, the F-15EX at around $90–$97 million, the Gripen E/F at about $60–$85 million for the platform alone, China’s J-20 at analyst estimates above $100 million, and Russia’s Su-57 at published estimates of $40–$50 million with opaque export pricing.