KAI’s kai kf-21 boramae completed certification requirements for air-to-air combat capability under the Block I configuration, the latest step in South Korea’s indigenous fighter program. No Ji-man, head of the Korea Fighter Project Group at the Defense Acquisition Programme Administration, called it “a symbolic achievement demonstrating that the Republic of Korea has fully secured independent fighter jet development capabilities.”
The certification comes after years of testing that began with the program’s start in December 2015, the first prototype rollout in 2021 and the maiden flight in 2022. KAI received provisional combat suitability approval in May 2023 and then continued an extended flight test campaign focused on air-to-air operational performance and Republic of Korea Air Force requirements.
No Ji-man and Block I
No’s remarks framed the milestone around the aircraft’s readiness for its first operational role. The KF-21 is a 4.5-generation fighter, and the Block I configuration has now cleared the certification requirements tied to air-to-air combat capability.
KAI said the program’s test work covered 13,000 test points during approximately 1,600 flights involving six prototypes. That record is the basis for the shift from flight testing to the next phase of production and delivery planning.
June 2026 and September 2026
KAI is scheduled to complete KF-21 development and certification-related tasks in June 2026. The Republic of Korea Air Force is scheduled to take delivery of its first production aircraft in September 2026, giving the service a timetable for receiving the fighter after the current certification milestone.
KAI is to deliver an initial batch of 40 KF-21 Block I aircraft between 2026 and 2028. The company will then follow with 80 KF-21 Block II aircraft between 2029 and 2032.
Block II after Block I
The Block II aircraft are planned to have expanded air-to-ground and anti-ship capabilities. KF-21 Block II variants are to be progressively cleared for air-to-ground capability in the first half of 2027, after late-2025 approval accelerated air-to-ground weapons testing for the variants.
For now, the clearest change is that the Block I version has moved through the certification step tied to air-to-air combat use. The program still has more work ahead before Block II expands the aircraft’s mission set and the production line reaches the later 80-aircraft tranche.
