The Korean next-generation fighter (KFX) project is about to become a reality in 20 years after President Kim Dae-jung made it official in 2001. This project is called the largest weapon development project since the founding of the military. The development cost alone amounts to 8.6 trillion won. It plans to spend 9.6 trillion won to produce 120 units and deliver them to the Air Force. Indonesia, which shares 20% of the development cost and is participating in the project together, will assemble and produce 50 units in their own country. Indonesia's actions, which are not paying ante on time due to economic difficulties, etc., are acting as a variable in the smooth progress of the business.
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KFX started in earnest in January 2016. After that, it went through the basic design review and detailed design review, and then the production and assembly stages. The final assembly is the step of gathering and combining all the separately manufactured front, center, main wings, and rear fuselage. Prototype 1 is expected to be completed in April-May 2021. From 2022 to 2026, after 2,000 flight tests and various evaluations, 120 units will be sequentially produced and delivered to the Air Force.
# Currently, the target KF-X performance is Mach 1.81 (2200 km per hour), a range of 2900 km, and a maximum armament payload of 7.7 tons.
It aims to exhibit slightly higher performance than the current KF-16, the main aircraft of the Korean Air Force. The KFX will replace the old F-4 and F-5 fighters that have been used for decades. At one time, among military enthusiasts, it was said that KFX would be developed as a stealth machine, but for now, this is not true. There is a side that came out of the hopeful view of stealth because KFX applied the concept of block (Block Ⅰ/Ⅱ/Ⅲ), which is an evolutionary development stage. The block concept means upgrading the fighter with better performance according to the trend of technological development. However, KFX aims to be a 4.5 generation fighter that does not fall short of the F-35A, the latest fifth generation stealth aircraft introduced by the Korean Air Force.
The development of supersonic fighter jets is the result of a culmination of a nation's scientific and technological capabilities. In fact, more than 150 institutions including domestic defense and defense-related research institutes, companies, and universities are participating in the development of KFX. KFX contains over 200,000 parts, structures, and electronic and mechanical devices. Until the release of the KFX mockup in 2019, only the shape change took place nine times. The detailed design drawings alone amount to 12,000 sheets. KAI said, "The localization rate of KFX is about 65%." Considering that the localization rate of the domestic aviation industry was about 40% five years ago, it represents a significant technological advancement. Those who showed a negative view on KFX argued that development would be stranded if core technology transfers from the US were not made. In fact, KFX faced a crisis from the planning stage. In 2013, the government made a plan to develop KFX by transferring four core technologies in exchange for selecting the F-35 of Lockheed Martin in the United States. The four core technology equipments are AESA (Asa Multifunctional Phase Arrangement) radar, IRST (infrared search and tracking equipment), EOTGP (electro-optical target tracking equipment), and RF jammer (electromagnetic interference equipment). However, in 2015, the U.S. government refused to transfer the four core technologies, causing a disruption in the development of KFX. The government decided to independently develop the four core technologies. Since then, development of the four core technology equipment has begun led by the Defense Science Research Institute. Private companies also helped. Hanwha Systems has succeeded in developing radar and infrared search, and LIG Nex1 for electromagnetic interference technology.
In particular, the AESA radar, which is called the "eye of a fighter," is the most essential equipment. AESA radar is an essential piece of equipment for identifying enemy aircraft and finding ground hitting targets in air combat. Until now, only 10 countries have succeeded in development. In August, Hanwha Systems announced the success of its independent development by unveiling a prototype AESA radar. It can detect and track multiple targets at the same time by operating over 1000 transceivers. Elta, an Israeli defense company in charge of performance evaluation, was also surprised.
# It doesn't mean that radar hardware has been successfully developed. Software development is left. Software is essential for the radar to be integrated and operated with the fighter's flight and weapon systems. An official from the Defense Science Research Institute said, "Suggestions for software technologies have been received from abroad, but we are pushing forward with our technology.
