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KF-21 deliveries set for 2026, a key moment for Korea’s air defense ambitions

Published: 02 Jan. 2026, 12:00 Updated: 02 Jan. 2026, 12:23

CHO YONG-JUN
[email protected]

The KF-21 during a test flight on Nov. 5, 2025 [KOREAN AIR FORCE]

From Apple’s first foldable phone to Korea’s first domestically developed fighter jet, 2026 is poised to usher in a wave of groundbreaking products and services with far-reaching implications for both consumers and the industry. To mark the new year, the Korea JoongAng Daily has compiled a list of landmark launches in the tech, automobile and defense sectors. — ED

Korea's first fighter jet built with domestic technology is expected to be delivered to the Korean Air Force in 2026, a critical test for the country's competitiveness in air defense.

The KF-21 represents a significant milestone for the Korean Air Force and the entire aviation industry. The country has typically relied on U.S.-made fighters, with the T-50 Golden Eagle training jet and the FA-50 Fighting Eagle light fighter being the only domestically developed exceptions.

Consequently, the delivery of the fighter jet signifies improvements in the country’s technological sovereignty and its ability to develop a supersonic fighter, as well as the possible future export of the KF-2.

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) began production on the first 20 Batch-I KF-21 fighter jets in July 2024, though development began more than 10 years ago.

The KF-21 is displayed at the ADEX 2025 in Seongnam, Gyeonggi [YONHAP]

The K-21 is also a feat for Hanwha Systems, which developed and manufactured the active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar with the Agency for Defense Development (ADD). The United States had previously declined to transfer its own AESA technology for security reasons.

For the Air Force, the KF-21 will be an opportunity to replace the F-4 Phantom II, which was retired in 2024, and the KF-5, which was first developed in the United States in the 1950s. But for KAI, which co-developed the aircraft with the ADD, the finished KF-21 proves the advanced development potential of the company.

The KF-21 additionally provides hope regarding the future of K-defense exports. With the previously deployed FA-50 Fighting Eagle light attack aircraft and T-50 trainer jets already exported to Iraq, the Philippines, Thailand, Poland and Malaysia, the KF-21 can follow up as an upper-market fighter jet. Poland, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines and Malaysia have all shown interest in the aircraft.

The Korean Air Force, following internal testing, will also deploy the delivered jet fighters this year. They will be fitted with air-to-ground capabilities starting in 2027.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [[email protected]]