The Philippines is Likely to be the First Southeast Asian Country to Acquisition of KF-21

12 Januari 2025

The KF-21 Boramae Block 1 fighter jet costs around US$ 83 million, while the KF-21 Block 2 is around US$ 112 million. Its price competitiveness to be around half that of the F-35 stealth fighter (approximately 200 million dollars) (photo: Reddit)

The Philippines is pushing to purchase the KF-21 using foreign loans through a legal amendment this year, and is reportedly hoping for delivery after 2027 following news that Korea has begun full-scale mass production.

The Philippines has been negotiating to purchase the KF-21 since October of last year, and has previously signed a contract worth $700 million to purchase 12 FA-50PH fighters, which will be delivered at a faster pace than the usual three-year or more production period for the fighter jets.

An industry insider explained, “Based on its experience operating the FA-50, the Philippines is demonstrating a high level of trust in Korean fighter jets,” and “Negotiations for the export of the KF-21 are progressing smoothly.”

The next-generation weapon system development is reaching the stage of perfecting combat power

As global attention on the KF-21 grows, Korea is accelerating the development of advanced weapon systems specifically for the KF-21.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) is currently reviewing the development of hypersonic weapons, which are expected to be next-generation weapons systems launched from the KF-21 and capable of striking key targets. The development of long-range, blackout guided missiles is also being considered.

The blackout missile is a soft-kill weapon that neutralizes the enemy's operational capabilities by striking substations, power facilities supporting national command centers, and military communications command systems. The concept is to paralyze the power grid from a long distance outside the air defense network.

KF-21 and FA-50 will equip PAF (photo: RoKAF)

A military official said, “We will complete a truly independent combat capability by developing a Korean missile that can be equipped with American and European missiles while surpassing them.”

In addition, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) held a launch meeting for the Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile-II research and development project at the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) on the 2nd, and decided to invest a total of 435.9 billion won from 2025 to 2032 to develop a domestically produced short-range air-to-air guided missile.

Major defense companies such as LIG Nex1, Hanwha Aerospace, and KAI will participate in this project and collaborate.

A Predicted Change in the Global Defense Market Landscape

The KF-21 is currently in export negotiations with several countries.

In particular, large-scale negotiations are underway with Middle Eastern countries, and negotiations are accelerating with the goal of selecting a preferred bidder within the year. The Middle East is reportedly focusing on the KF-21's price-performance ratio as an alternative to American and European fighters.

The KF-21, with its first mass-produced aircraft slated for delivery in March 2026, is expected to see a total of 120 aircraft deployed to the ROK Air Force by 2032. The unit price is estimated at approximately 130-140 billion won (approximately 130-140 billion won) for Block 1, securing price competitiveness compared to competing aircraft such as the F-16V (approximately 150 billion won) and Rafale (approximately 180 billion won).

A Defense Acquisition Program Administration official emphasized, “Following the development of the KF-21, securing various aerial weapons, including short-range air-to-air guided missiles, with our own technology will be a significant turning point in the development of Korea’s aviation weapons systems and the development of defense export markets.” He added, “By completing an independent aviation power system that combines domestically produced fighter jets and domestically produced missiles, we will lead the change in the global defense market landscape.”

(Reportea)