A first prototype of the country's first homegrown fighter jet, KF-X is being assembled at a production line of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in Sacheon, Gyeongsangnam-do. (Photos: KAI)

CEO Ahn Hyun-ho of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).

A prototype of the country’s first homegrown fighter jet will be unveiled in April, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said.

Reporters toured a production line of a prototype of the KF-X fighter jet, developed with local technology at Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) headquarters in Sacheon, Gyeongsangnam-do, on Feb. 24.

F-4s and F-5s, introduced from the United States a few decades ago, are still in service in the Korean Air Force. The fighters, aged but still in large in numbers, account for the bulk of the Air Force’s power.

Former president Kim Dae-jung stressed a need for the development of a homegrown fighter jet at a Korea Air Force Academy commencement ceremony in March 2001.

President Kim’s remarks led to the development of KF-X. It was in November 2002 that a Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting decided on a long-term plan for new fighters.

DASA struck a deal on the project with KAI in December 2015. Five years later, in September 2020, KAI began to assemble a prototype of KF-X at its plant in Sacheon.

The project will cost 8.8 trillion won between 2015 and 2028. The trial model will be painted this month before it will be unveiled to public view in April.

Military craft developed for the first time in Korea already includes the T-50, an advanced jet trainer and light combat aircraft, and the FA-50, a light combat aircraft and fighter developed based on the former.

They were jointly developed by KAI and Lockheed Martin Corp. That means the KF-X is the nation’s first truly homegrown fighter jet.

Jung Kwang-sun, chief of the KF-X program at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, said the planned event in April will be a “watershed moment” for the country and the aerospace industry.

“After we’ve so far worked only with the blueprint, we are now certifying to see if a prototype will work,” he said.

The trial model will undergo a variety of tests before it will be test-operated with about 2,2oo sorties starting 2022. The development is scheduled to be finished by 2026.

KF-X will be delivered to the Korea Air Force for the Block I stage following a mass production. The Block I stage refers to a stage in which basic flight and air-to-air fighting capabilities are built.

Additional air-to-land fighting capabilities with missiles being loaded will be staged at the Block II stage that will last between 2026 and 2028.

When the development is complete, 40 units will be delivered to the Air Force by 2028 and another 80 units by 2032, according to officials.

Halfway through the development, over 11,800 people have joined forces for the project with 2,500 new jobs created in 2020 alone, according to the arms procurement agency.

“We had difficulties in the face of the COVID-19 situation, but we managed to overcome the crisis,” KAI CEO Ahn Hyun-ho said.

“I hope we can complete the project as planned so it can become a pillar of our self-reliant national defense.”