KF-X, which was a’paper plane’ for 20 years… Flying in the sky as a’real fighter’

The KF-X (Korean fighter) prototype, the first fighter made by our own hands, will finally come out of the factory next month. The KF-X, which has been a’paper plane’ for 20 years, reveals itself and prepares to fly. By 2026, if a total of 2,200 test flights are successfully passed, Korea will be named as the 13th country to develop fighter aircraft. On the 24th of last month, ahead of the’Prototype 1 release ceremony’ scheduled for the end of next month, on the 24th of last month, the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), which jointly develops KF-X with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, unveiled the production site of the Sacheon plant in Gyeongnam to the Ministry of Defense access reporters.

92% of the prototype 1 process proceeded… “Localization rate 65%”

At the KAI Sacheon factory’Gojeongik-dong’, which is three times the size of a soccer field (21,600㎡), the final work of Prototype No. 1 was in full swing. Prototype 1, standing in the front row of the assembly line, was equipped with an engine and had almost the appearance of a fighter. The phrase’KF-X 001′ indicating that it is the first prototype was also largely embedded in the center of the wing. A KAI official explained, “92% of the current process has been carried out and only finishing work such as painting has been left.” KF-X, a light green body, will soon be wearing gray clothes. The current weight is 12 tons, but if weapons such as missiles are installed in the future, it will be 25 tons. The KF-X to be put into practice is 16.9m long, 11.2m wide, and 4.7m high, which is larger than the F-16 fighter and slightly smaller than the F-15K.

Although six prototypes are actually being tested, a total of eight are being manufactured, including two prototypes used for durability tests on the ground. For the two prototypes that do not fly, it is evaluated whether they can withstand 150% of the flight load and 2.5 times their actual life (8,000 hours flight).

“KF-X is the first fighter developed since the birth of Korea, and the release of the prototype was the stage where we started to verify whether the actual performance was achieved by visualizing a fighter that had been seen only in the design drawings. It can be seen as,” he said, “the parts localization rate (based on cost) is 65%, and we will continue to expand this to contribute to the domestic economy.”

Only 7 times in the business feasibility study… 20 years of fighting pessimism

The KF-X project, which is 8.8 trillion won in development cost and 18 trillion won in mass production (a total of 120 units), was launched by President Kim Dae-jung at the graduation ceremony of the Air Force Academy in 2001. I will develop it.” And the following year, the joint staff meeting confirmed the requirements for the development of domestic fighter jets. However, unusually for the business professed by the president, progress was very slow. This is because the pessimism of’Can we really develop a fighter?’ and’Pour water into the poison underneath’ caught the ankle every time. Overseas defense companies trying to sell their own fighters also played a part. For this reason, a feasibility study was conducted seven times, which would have been sufficient for other weapon systems.

In 2013, it was only possible to move in earnest with the condition that’some technologies are transferred from foreign companies selected in the next fighter (FX) business’. In the following year, the US Lockheed Martin decided to introduce dozens of F-35 fighters, and as a counter-payment, it was decided to receive key technologies to be applied to KF-X. But business faced another crisis as the US overturned this promise. At the time of his deceased Ju Chul-gi, the Blue House Foreign Affairs and Security Officer is known to have taken responsibility for this and withdrew. After twists and turns, the KF-X budget was first reflected in the 2015 budget, and the project was on track. The technology that the United States refused to transfer, such as the AESA (Active Electron Scanning Phase Arrangement) radar, called the’eye of a fighter’, was also developed with our own efforts.

“Fit 52 hours a week, please”… Difficulties in non-payment of Indian contributions

The’Tension Release Ceremony’ is a heartbreaking event, but it is too early to explode. This is because the mountains to overcome after the release ceremony are more difficult. First of all, the first flight (test flight) is possible only after successfully passing the durability test on the ground for about a year from the middle of this year. The Korea Radiation Administration and KAI plan to conduct a total of 2,200 test flights from next year to 2026. If the weather doesn’t help, or if there are any disruptions in internal preparation, it could be later than 2026, when system development was initially nailed. Gwang-soo Ryu, head of KAI’s Fixed-Ik Business Division, said, “It is still a late project, so if the test flight schedule is tight, but the weather is bad or the internal preparation is delayed, we will not be able to meet the initial deadline. Feel. Even in the field of research and development, I would like you to release the 52-hour weekly system.”

Indonesia’s non-payment of contributions to joint development of KF-X is also a challenge to be solved. Indonesia, which decided to share 20% of the total development cost (1.76 trillion won), has not paid 604 billion won so far. Recently, local reports that Indonesia announced plans to purchase the US’s F-15EX and France’s Rafale fighter jets have raised concerns over whether they are trying to get out of the KF-X business. “We are currently negotiating in a direction that is beneficial to both countries, but we know that the situation is not good in Indonesia due to natural disasters and Corona 19. Some say that if the joint development fails, the KF-X project will not go to the end. But not at all. I even made an aircraft, but I can’t sit down here.”

Sacheon, Gyeongnam Seungim Jeong reporter [email protected]

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