South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) recently conducted a joint test flight of Seoul’s domestically developed KF-21 Boramae fighter at Sacheon Air Base in Gyeongsangnam-do, highlighting the nations’ strengthening defense collaboration. The flight follows the signing of a letter of intent in April 2025 to pursue “comprehensive cooperation” on the KF-21 program.
This initiative is part of South Korea’s broader push to expand joint defense projects with partners in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, ahead of the KF-21’s planned induction into its armed forces by the decade’s end. While no purchase commitment was confirmed, sources suggest that the UAE’s participation reflects a strong interest in potentially acquiring the advanced fighter. The demonstration involved the sixth KF-21 prototype, focusing on evaluating combat readiness and flight control capabilities.
The KF-21 development program has already logged more than 1,300 sorties, achieving about 70% of the planned test flights for the Block 1 prototype phase. These trials are critical to meeting the performance benchmarks required for full-scale production and operational deployment.
Seoul intends to deploy up to 120 KF-21 fighters by the early 2030s, with the first 20 units expected between 2026 and 2027. Once operational, they will replace the Republic of Korea Air Force’s aging F-4 and F-5 aircraft, significantly enhancing the country’s air combat capabilities.
