South Korea carried out the first weapons test of the KF-21 fighter plane produced by the Seoul Air Industry.
The state news agency said that the weapons release test flights were conducted over the sea, a distance of about 300 km from Seoul, the capital, to test the release of the weapons in the fighter jets. A live firing test of about a hundred bullets from the plane’s machine gun was also conducted.
The news agency said that the two tests brought the locally produced fighter plane another step closer to completing the production and armament of the plane whose role is to protect the country’s skies.
The fighter jet project began in 2015 and so far 6.8 billion dollars have been invested in it, with the intention being to produce a supersonic fighter jet that will replace old F-4 and F-5 fighter jets.
Four KF-21 prototypes have so far accumulated 150 flight hours, and by early 2026 they should accumulate 2,000 flight hours. In the near future, high-altitude flight tests, low-speed flights, and weapons tests will be conducted, mainly locally produced air-to-air missiles.