Posted on 11/27/2022 4:30:09 AM PST by FarCenter
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KAI's factory is adjacent to Sacheon Airport, which is used for military and civilian purposes. Since summer, the company has been using the airport to stage test flights for prototypes of the KF-21, South Korea's first homegrown fighter. Mass production is due to start 2026.
The KF-21, developed in conjunction with Indonesia, is billed as a 4.5 generation fighter, meaning its capabilities fall between fourth-generation fighters -- the mainstream type in service globally -- and cutting-edge fifth-generation fighters.
KAI is responsible for assembling the fighter, collecting data from test flights, and improving designs of the KF-21.
South Korea's air force plans to add 120 KF-21s to its fleet, and Indonesia's military will receive some jets as well.
The South Korean government has set aside 8.8 trillion won ($6.6 billion) in development funds for the project. By setting the price of the aircraft relatively low, Seoul hopes to appeal to emerging economies looking for cost-effective equipment, making the new plane its arms export centerpiece.
KAI's current mainstay export is the FA-50 light attack aircraft, based on technology from U.S. company Lockheed Martin. The company inked a deal in September to sell 48 FA-50s to Poland for $3 billion.
Warsaw is buying more than $12 billion in defense equipment from South Korea, including 180 tanks from Hyundai Rotem as well as artillery and ammunition from the Hanwha group, as it rushes to build up defenses amid the conflict between Russia and Ukraine next door. Hyundai Rotem is in talks with a Polish partner on manufacturing tanks in the country.
The Polish government has indicated that it opted for South Korean gear because, after 70 years of preparing for a potential war with the North, the equipment "must be of the highest quality."
Looking beyond Poland, the Philippines has deployed KAI jets while Egypt and Malaysia are negotiating purchases of the same model. The United Arab Emirates signed a multibillion-dollar deal with South Korean defense contractor LIG Nex1 for a surface-to-air missile system.
Hanwha Aerospace has a $700 million-plus contract with the Australian government to supply armored vehicles and self-propelled artillery. The company is working on setting up a factory there -- the first overseas production facilities for a South Korean defense contractor -- slated to come online in 2024.
South Korea's defense exports have skyrocketed recently, from around $3 billion in overseas orders a year to $7.2 billion in 2021. This year, the tally has swelled to $17 billion as of the end of October, with two months still to go.
Do you have any thoughts on this?
The US has about 40% of the arms export market, especially aircraft.
South Korea could become a big competitor.
It would seem there are military aircraft and military aircraft.
I would think competition at the low technology/cost end is not a real threat.
As for the new fighter jet, it seems to have a solid prospect of meeting the needs of a wide range of customers by being good enough for their purposes and considerably cheaper than the best rival models. Unlike several struggling fighter jet ventures by other countries, South Korea seems capable of a producing a fighter that effectively integrates engine, airframe, electronics, weapons, and flight control systems in a balanced and cost-effective way -- just like Hyundais are to the automotive market.
South Korea - A new arsenal of Democracy.
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