Overview
- A Defense Acquisition Program Administration review committee approved the KF-21’s type and airworthiness certification on Monday after finding the design met all 745 required items across 14 assessment areas.
- The certification focuses on flight safety, pilot protection and structural and systems resilience and is separate from May’s combat suitability test that assessed mission performance and weapons employment.
- DAPA said it will inspect each production aircraft to verify conformity with the certified design and will enforce strict quality controls as the program moves from testing into mass production.
- Seoul plans staged deliveries, with the first batch due to reach the Air Force in the second half of 2026, 40 air-to-air-configured jets by 2028 and a total of 120 aircraft by 2032.
- Officials say the government certification and accumulated airworthiness experience aim to boost buyer confidence and expand South Korea’s defense-export prospects while furthering its domestic aerospace industry.