Only a handful of nations have ever built a supersonic fighter jet from the ground up
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenPark Chan-kyongPublished: 10:00am, 4 Apr 2026South Korea has spent a decade and billions of dollars trying to build a world-class fighter jet. Now that the finish line is drawing near, it’s nearly time to find out who will buy one.The first mass-produced KF-21 Boramae, developed jointly with Indonesia since 2015, was unveiled by Korea Aerospace Industries in Sacheon on March 25.Analysts say the aircraft could pave the way for South Korea, already one of the world’s top 10 arms exporters, to grab an even bigger slice of the global market.
“The export of the KF-21, likely within a year of its domestic deployment, would mark a significant leap forward for South Korea’s defence industry in the global high-end weapons market,” said Professor Jang Won-joon of Jeonbuk National University’s Advanced Defence Industry Studies Department.
