Concerns of delay loom over KF-21 fighter jet program as production costs likely to rise

“Korea's first homegrown fighter jet program may face delays as costs for follow-on production are projected to sharply rise from the original estimate, a document drafted by the state arms procurement agency showed Tuesday. The "Block-II" production of the KF-21 Boramae fighters was projected to cost 18.44 trillion won ($12.5 billion) as of March, an increase of 29.5 percent, or 4.19 trillion won, from the initial estimate of 14.24 trillion won made in August 2024, according to the document by the Defense Acquisition Procurement Administration (DAPA) submitted to a lawmaker. DAPA largely attributed the cost overruns to economic factors, such as inflation, a weak Korean currency and global supply chain disruptions, the document showed. South Korea launched the fighter jet project in late 2015 to develop an advanced supersonic aircraft intended to replace now-retired F-4 fighters and aging F-5 jets still in service. Following the rollout of the first KF-21 prototype in April 2021, DAPA began the "Block-I" production phase aimed at producing 40 fighters focused on air-to-air capabilities fo

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