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South Korea Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)
KF-21 Boramae
South Korean-led 4.5-generation multirole fighter developed with Indonesia to replace aging F-4 and F-5 fleets, featuring a low-observable-shaped airframe without internal weapons bays. Entered low-rate initial production for the Republic of Korea Air Force with a future AESA-equipped, more-stealthy Block upgrade path planned.
In service since 2026 · 2 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-01
2,200
km/h
2,900
km range
16,700
m ceiling
7,700
kg payload
1
T/W
💲 ≈ $65,000,000, Estimated unit cost, early production
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
ROK export-licensed
DAPA-administered; aggressive export posture with financing/offset packages.
Channel: Government-to-government
Fielded & proven
Limited · 2 operators
In service since 2026. Status: active · ~20 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$163M – $228M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost, operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price. How we estimate this →
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the KF-21 Boramae can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
Powerplant
The KF-21 Boramae's engine has its own full spec page.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
| Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance. | 2,200 km/h |
|---|---|
| Max speed (Mach) Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters. | 1.81 Mach |
| Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence. | 2,900 km |
| Combat radius Distance an aircraft can fly, complete its mission and return without refueling. Roughly a third of ferry range. | 700 km |
| Service ceiling Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon. | 16,700 m |
| Thrust-to-weight Engine thrust divided by loaded weight. Above 1.0 the aircraft can accelerate going straight up. On a standalone engine record, this is the engine's own thrust divided by its dry weight, the standard figure of merit for jet engines. | 1 |
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
| Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type. | 20 mm M61A2 Vulcan rotary cannon |
|---|---|
| Hardpoints External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts. | 10 |
| Weapons payload Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie. | 7,700 kg |
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
| Countermeasures Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers. | chaff, flares, radar warning receiver |
|---|---|
| Signature reduction Radar cross-section shaping, RAM coatings, IR suppression. Actual RCS values are classified. | Reduced radar cross-section airframe shaping with sawtooth panel edges; no internal weapons bay |
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
| Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable. | 16.9 m |
|---|---|
| Wingspan Wingtip-to-wingtip span. | 11.2 m |
| Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles. | 4.7 m |
| Empty weight Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew. | 11,700 kg |
| Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor. | 25,600 kg |
| Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity. | 1 |
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
| Engine Powerplant model and type. | 2x General Electric F414-GE-400K afterburning turbofans |
|---|---|
| Engines Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost. | 2 |
| Thrust Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable). | 98 kN |
| Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet… | Turbofan |
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
| Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art. | Hanwha Systems AESA |
|---|---|
| Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights. | infrared search and track (IRST), electro-optical targeting pod |
| Datalink Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement. | Link 16-compatible datalink |
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
| Unit cost Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper. | $65,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability. | 20 |
| Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem. | 2 |
Specifications compiled from public Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-01.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
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KF-21 Boramae vs
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JAS 39E Gripen Frequently asked questions
What is the top speed of the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae has a maximum speed of 2,200 km/h.
What is the range of the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae has a maximum range of 2,900 km.
What is the weapons payload of the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae can carry up to 7,700 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae weigh? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae has a combat weight of 25,600 kg.
How many crew does the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae require? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae requires a crew of 1.
What is the main armament of the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae's primary weapon is the 20 mm M61A2 Vulcan rotary cannon.
What engine does the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae use? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae is powered by the 2x General Electric F414-GE-400K afterburning turbofans.
What is the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae used for? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae is a fighter aircraft typically used for multirole combat, air superiority, close air support.
How many countries operate the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae is operated by 2 countries.
How much does the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae cost? +
The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae has an approximate unit cost of 65,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration, treat this as directional.
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