South Korea began assembling a prototype of what would be the country's first indigenously developed fighter jet today in a landmark step that means the ambitious project is materializing, the arms procurement agency said. Under the KF-X project worth 8.8 trillion won (US$7.3 billion), South Korea has been working since late 2015 to develop a home-grown cutting-edge fighter aircraft to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 jets, Yonhap reports. KAI is the country's sole aircraft manufacturer and is in charge of the KF-X project. "Despite the global COVID-19 pandemic, the KF-X project has been under way as planned, and the prototype is expected to be available next year," DAPA official Jung Kwang-sun said. With a maximum payload of 7,700 kilograms, the fighter is capable of installing 10 pods for missiles and fuel barrels.

Source: The Standard September 03, 2020 09:00 UTC