Officials from DAPA, the Ministry of National Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Republic of Korea Air Force, ADD, DTaQ, and Korea Aerospace Industries pose for a group photo during the kickoff meeting of the KF-21 Additional Armament Test Project at KAI on December 23. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) held the project kickoff meeting on Tuesday at Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) facilities in Sacheon, Gyeongsangnam-do.

The meeting was attended by representatives from the Ministry of National Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Republic of Korea Air Force, the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), the Defense Technology Quality Agency, and KAI.

During the session, DAPA outlined the project framework and discussed detailed implementation strategies for the next stage of KF-21 capability growth.

The Additional Armament Test Project is designed to validate the KF-21’s ability to operate a wide range of weapons and to secure its full performance as a multi-role fighter aircraft. Backed by a budget of approximately KRW 700 billion (about USD 510 million), the program will evaluate more than 10 types of air-to-ground weapons between December 2025 and December 2028.

Under the test plan, DAPA, the Republic of Korea Air Force, KAI as the lead developer, and ADD will jointly conduct extensive flight testing to verify weapon integration, operational safety, and combat effectiveness.

Notably, South Korea has decided to accelerate the acquisition schedule. Initial air-to-ground combat capability will now be introduced on KF-21 production aircraft beginning in the first half of 2027, approximately 18 months earlier than originally planned. Officials expect this move to significantly enhance the Air Force’s operational flexibility while strengthening the KF-21’s competitiveness in the global fighter market, where interest from multiple countries is already growing.

The KF-21 has already demonstrated strong performance during earlier system development phases, successfully completing flight tests related to flight stability, avionics verification, and air-to-air weapon launches. According to DAPA, all required design, verification, and ground testing necessary to proceed with air-to-ground weapon flight trials has now been completed.

With the formal launch of the additional armament testing program, flight tests will commence promptly, enabling early operational deployment of strike capabilities and firmly positioning the KF-21 as a next-generation multi-role fighter.

Noh Ji-man, Director of DAPA’s Korean Fighter Program Office, described the project as a turning point for South Korea’s defense aviation sector.

“The KF-21 additional armament test project represents a major milestone in South Korea’s ability to independently develop a multi-role fighter,” Noh said. “The air-to-ground weapon capabilities secured through this effort will not only dramatically enhance the KF-21’s effectiveness on future battlefields, but also strengthen the technological self-reliance of our domestic aviation industry and support its expansion into global markets.”

As the KF-21 transitions from an air-dominance platform to a fully integrated multi-role combat aircraft, the program underscores South Korea’s broader ambition to emerge as a leading supplier of advanced fighter aircraft in the international defense market.

K-DEFENSE NEWS | Strategic Analysis Desk

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