Ⓒ JoongAng Ilbo / JoongAng Ilbo Japanese version2022.07.19 17:04
The Korean domestic supersonic fighter KF-21 kicked the runway and took off into the blue sky for the first flight test on the 19th.
The KF-21 prototype No. 1 was set up at around 3:40 pm on this day for the first test flight of the Air Force No. 3 near the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) headquarters in Sacheon, Gyeongsangnam-do. The training fleet took off from the runway.
The KF-21 will fly for 30-40 minutes after takeoff to check basic aircraft performance.
It is said that the first flight of the day will not speed up to supersonic speed and will fly at the speed of a light aircraft, about 400 kilometers per hour (200 knots).
If the flight is completed normally, it will land on the runway in 30 to 40 minutes. Through this, the pilot will check the safety of the aircraft.
If the KF-21 succeeds in the flight test, South Korea will be the eighth country to develop a supersonic fighter in the world. It has been 21 years since the development of the Korean fighter (KF-X) was declared in 2001, and it has been 6 years since the contract for the KF-21 development project was signed in 2015.
So far, the only countries that have developed supersonic fighters are the United States, Russia, China, Japan, France, Sweden, and the European Consortium (UK, Germany, Italy, Spain).