South Korea has tested the KF-21 fighter in the sky for the first time. $6.67 billion was spent on its development

South Korea has tested a prototype of the KF-21 fighter jet for the first time in the sky.

What is known

Told about this

Yonhap News Agency.The fighter made its maiden flight from the 3rd Flying Training Wing in Sacheon, about 300 km south of Seoul, where its manufacturer, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) Ltd., is headquartered. The plane stayed in the air for about 30-40 minutes. The maximum flight speed was 400 km/h. After that, he landed successfully. Testing of the KF-21 should continue until 2026. After this, South Korea plans to begin mass production of the new product.

For those who are not in the know

KF-21 (original name KF-X) is a commonproject of South Korea and Indonesia with participation distribution of 80% and 20% respectively. Its cost is 6.67 billion, although initially it was said about the amount of $5.2 billion. Development of the fighter began back in 2001. There are many scandals and spy stories associated with the plane. Initially, the KF-X was planned as a fifth-generation fighter with the capabilities of the F-22 and the size of the F-16. But during development, the requirements for the KF-X decreased. As a result, it became a 4.5 generation aircraft. The KF-X is 13 meters long and 4.5 meters high.

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