"It could be unsettling for China," said some South Korean experts who seem to have regained their confidence recently as the KF-21 stealth fighter was approved for mass production.
As everyone knows, unlike the United States, which has rich aviation experience and stumbles on the F-35 project, the progress of the South Korean KF-21 stealth fighter can be described as quite rapid: it took less than two years to complete the super "Great Leap Forward" from the first flight to the mass production license. In this regard, the foreign media is also ruthless, "Sitting at the table, South Korea does not seem to be qualified."
In fact, this is not a deliberate dismantling of Taiwan by the American media, but that the South Koreans do not have diamonds. Although South Korea has repeatedly advertised that the KF-21 is a 4.5-generation fighter, even half a generation more advanced than the old American F-22, it is obvious that this is a fool's dream.
In terms of design, the KF-21 had some obvious compromises: in order to save development time and costs, the KF-21 did not use an internal magazine, which somewhat weakened its stealth capabilities. Obviously, compared with the top fighters F-22, F-35, and even the J-20 with stealth performance, the lack of stealth of the KF-21 has already kept South Korea away from the ranks of top clubs.
Let's take a look at the core equipment of the KF-21. Most of the key components such as fire control radar, flight control system, and weapon system are made of foreign ready-made products, which are typical "assembled goods". Although it can ensure a certain level of technology, it is also in the embarrassing situation of being stuck in the neck, which means that the KF-21 still has a long way to go in terms of "localization".
In addition, the KF-21's "extraordinary" test flight cycle has also aroused widespread doubts from the outside world. According to media reports, from the first flight in July 2022 to the current mass production license, the KF-21 took less than two years. With the stealth fighter that carries the backbone of the world, the test flight cycle that starts in the past ten years is often carried out, and South Korea will inevitably not be suspected of "pulling out seedlings to help it grow".
In this regard, some industry insiders suspect that KF-21 may omit some key testing and verification links, which is the same as Baodao's so-called self-produced new crown vaccine trading methods.
Obviously, the complacent statements of South Korean experts do not confirm that the KF-21 is a 4.5 generation aircraft. As we all know, even such military powers as the United States, Russia and China are only beginning to develop fifth-generation fighters.
Despite South Korea's boastful assertions, we cannot ignore South Korea's impressive performance in the international arms market. According to the data, thanks to the excellent performance in certain aspects of performance, South Korean military equipment has indeed achieved certain success in the international market in recent years. For example, the K9 self-propelled artillery and the KA-50 light fighter from South Korea are popular with some countries because of their specific performance advantages.
Perhaps the "out of the circle" in the international arms market made South Korea mistakenly think that "if China can do it, I can do it too", so it entered the mass production link before the KF-21 test flight cycle did not meet the standard. It is reported that according to the country's latest plans, it is expected to produce 40 KF-21 fighters between 2024 and 2028.
It is undeniable that the mass production of the KF-21 is undoubtedly a milestone for the South Korean military industry, but in the international arena it is still far from being able to shake China's military superiority. After all, this kind of half-tone stealth fighter is undoubtedly just another copy of Japan's "Shinshin" fighter, and in the eyes of the South Korean media, it "makes China feel uneasy", which is obviously putting gold on his face.
As the saying goes, how bold people are, how productive the land is, before the mass production of the KF-21 has begun, South Korea can't wait to announce that it will be upgraded to a 5.5 generation fighter in the future. The steps are big, and it is easy to pull the crotch, what do you think about this?