Saab AB JAS 39E Gripen vs Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae
Full specs: Saab AB JAS 39E Gripen Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae
Saab AB JAS 39E Gripen and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae are both fighter aircraft, compared here on public specifications. The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae leads on weapons payload (7,700 vs 5,300 kg).
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Full data
Full spec sheet
| Performance | ||
| Max speed (km/h) | 2,124 km/h | 2,200 km/h ✓ |
| Max speed (Mach) (Mach) | 2 Mach ✓ | 1.81 Mach |
| Range (km) | 4,000 km ✓ | 2,900 km |
| Combat radius (km) | 1,500 km ✓ | 700 km |
| Service ceiling (m) | 16,000 m | 16,700 m ✓ |
| Thrust-to-weight | 1.05 ✓ | 1 |
| Firepower | ||
| Hardpoints | 10 | 10 |
| Weapons payload (kg) | 5,300 kg | 7,700 kg ✓ |
| Physical | ||
| Length (m) | 15.2 m | 16.9 m |
| Empty weight (kg) | 8,000 kg | 11,700 kg |
| Combat weight (kg) | 16,500 kg | 25,600 kg |
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
| Propulsion | ||
| Thrust (kN) | 98 kN | 98 kN |
| Program | ||
| Unit cost (USD) | $85,000,000 | $65,000,000 ✓ |
| Units built | 60 ✓ | 20 |
| Operator countries | 3 ✓ | 2 |
Frequently asked questions
Which is faster, Saab AB JAS 39E Gripen and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae is the fastest of the 2 compared here, at 2,200 km/h.
Which has the longer range? +
The Saab AB JAS 39E Gripen has the longest range at 4,000 km.
Which carries the larger weapons payload? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae carries the largest weapons payload at 7,700 kg.
Which is cheaper? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae has the lower public unit-cost figure at 65,000,000 USD. Treat this as directional, defense pricing varies by contract and configuration.
Which has the higher max speed (mach)? +
The Saab AB JAS 39E Gripen has the higher max speed (mach) at 2 Mach.
Which has the higher combat radius? +
The Saab AB JAS 39E Gripen has the higher combat radius at 1,500 km.
Is the Saab AB JAS 39E Gripen better than the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae? +
On the public specs we track, the Saab AB JAS 39E Gripen leads on 4 of 6 headline metrics, see the full spec sheet for the metric-by-metric breakdown.
Where does this comparison data come from? +
Every figure in the table is sourced from public manufacturer pages, defense-ministry releases and reference publications, and is verifiable on each system's spec page. WeaponSpecs does not accept vendor placement.
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