Ⓒ JoongAng Ilbo / JoongAng Ilbo Japanese version2022.07.20 14:07
The Korean-style fighter “KF-21” Porame continued to fly with the landing gear on its first flight on the 19th, and the background is attracting attention.
On this day, it was Major Ahn Jun-hyung, a test flight pilot belonging to the 52nd Test Evaluation Squadron of the Air Force, who held the control stick for the first flight. Gunji Anne, a veteran pilot, continued to fly at a speed of about 400 km / h because it was the first test flight of the prototype. The maximum speed on the specifications of the KF-21, the first domestically produced supersonic fighter, is Mach 1.81 (2235 km / h).
However, even after takeoff, Major Anne did not store the landing gear. The image also shows the flight with the landing gear down. This was the situation during the 33-minute test flight immediately after takeoff.
Regarding this, Dr. Yang Wuk of the Asan Policy Research Institute said, “The stealth fighter” F-22 “Raptor, which is regarded as the best fighter in the world, also flew without landing gear in the first test flight.” “It is common for aircraft to be tested to fly at low speed without retracting the landing gear in case of an emergency landing.” The bottom line is that you can save that much time in an emergency situation.
According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the KF-21 will go into full-scale mass production after conducting test flights of more than 2000 sorties (number of flights) until 2026. The Air Force plans to introduce a total of more than 120 KF-21s by 2032.