South Korea Looks Beyond Initial KF-21 Fielding

KF-21 aircraft flying

KF-21 flight testing has been gaining pace since the first flight in 2022.

Credit: ZUMA Press Inc./Alamy Stock Photo
The KF-21 next-generation combat aircraft program has all the elements of a good South Korean drama: a marriage, trials and tribulations, and a journey of self-discovery and self-reliance. Now industry partners are getting ready for showtime while putting in place all the elements for what they hope...
Chen Chuanren

Chen Chuanren is the Southeast Asia and China Editor for the Aviation Week Network’s (AWN) Air Transport World (ATW) and the Asia-Pacific Defense Correspondent for AWN, joining the team in 2017.

Kim Minseok

Kim Minseok covers South Korean defense. He has worked as a journalist for South Korean military magazines Military Review and Defense Times. Mr Kim is also a research fellow at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, a think tank.

Robert Wall

Robert Wall is Executive Editor for Defense and Space. Based in London, he directs a team of military and space journalists across the U.S., Europe and Asia-Pacific.

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