Maj. Gen. Nowak flew within the KF-21’s backseat throughout a go to to KAI’s services, adopted a day later by Col. Rigonald who turned the primary Indonesian pilot to check the jet.
The Polish Air Drive’s chief, Maj. Gen. Iereneusz Nowak, and an Indonesian Air Drive (TNI AU) check pilot, Col. Ferrel Rigonald, flew for the primary time on the KF-21 Boramae on Jun. 26 and Jun. 27, 2025, respectively. The announcement comes shortly after Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) revealed on Could 20 that the primary manufacturing mannequin of the plane is in last meeting.
Nowak’s flight within the KF-21 was a part of his go to to KAI headquarters in Sacheon, in response to KAI, the place the Polish Air Drive’s FA-50PL jets are being manufactured. Nowak flew within the rear seat of the twin-seat variant of the plane, in what the corporate referred to as a “check drive.”
🛩️🇰🇷🇮🇩 Indonesian Air Drive (TNI AU) check pilot, Colonel Ferrel Rigonald @FRigonald61799, carried out the maiden flight of the KF-21 prototype from the entrance cockpit, accompanied by KAI pilot Koh Hwi Seok within the rear cockpit. pic.twitter.com/t4Iia2cAJQ
— OSINT Analyst (@RANOSINT) July 3, 2025
Alternatively, Rigonald piloted the plane from the entrance seat, Indonesia’s Ministry of Protection stated, with KAI check pilot Koh Hwi Seok within the rear from the Sacheon air base. In truth, Indonesia is a major joint growth accomplice for the jet, which Jakarta has designated because the IF-X, and its pilots are anticipated to take part within the check marketing campaign, with Rigonald being the primary.
Nonetheless, Gen. Nowak appears excited earlier than takeoff 😎🛫#PolishAirForce #KAI #KF21Boramae #TestFlight pic.twitter.com/CRpTY4stCT
— Hwarang (@KDefenseInsight) July 4, 2025
Indonesian Air Drive pilot flies KF-21 for the primary time
Calling it a “historic milestone,” the Indonesian MoD stated Colonel Ferrel Rigonald and Koh Hwi Seok took off at 09:45 native time and efficiently carried out a “collection of check maneuvers at an altitude of 20,000 toes for roughly one hour.” This marked “Indonesia’s direct contribution to the testing and growth technique of the 4.5 era fighter plane.”
“The participation of Indonesian Air Drive pilots within the flight check section not solely displays the switch of know-how and the development of the competence of Indonesian protection human assets, but in addition serves as a powerful image of the spirit of strategic partnership between Indonesia and South Korea within the KF-21/IF-X fighter jet growth program,” the assertion added.
The TNI-AU pilot controlling the plane for the primary time suggests each South Korea and Indonesia are placing behind the key monetary and industrial disputes which have bothered the undertaking previously.
KF-21 Boramae
The KF-21 Boramae is a part of South Korea’s efforts to construct its personal Gen 4.5 multirole fighter and to switch the older F-4 Phantom II and F-5 Tiger II jets. The brand new plane entered mass manufacturing in Jul. 2024.
In line with experiences, the Republic of Korea Air Drive (ROKAF) plans to amass a complete of 120 KF-21s by 2032. South Korea’s Protection Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) talked about that the primary manufacturing KF-21 is scheduled to be delivered to the Republic of Korea Air Drive (ROKAF) in 2026, after finishing acceptance check flights.
The plane is the primary of 20 KF-21s included within the 1.96 trillion-won (US$1.41 billion) deal signed in June 2024 by KAI and DAPA. This was adopted by a Jun. 27, 2025, contract between KAI and DAPA for 20 further KF-21 jets.
At the moment there are six prototypes, together with two twin-seat variants, supporting the testing marketing campaign. The KF-21 flew for the primary time from KAI’s Sacheon facility on Jul. 19, 2022.
In its assertion about Maj. Gen. Nowak’s first flight within the KF-21, KAI referred to as the KF-21 a 4.5 era fighter “that may evolve right into a sixth era fighter jet with manned and unmanned capabilities sooner or later.” The jet is anticipated to turn out to be the principle fighter jet of the ROKAF together with the F-35.
The plane will even be outfitted with European weaponry, such because the Meteor BVRAAM (Past Visible Vary Air-to-Air Missile), IRIS-T short-range AAM, and, in future, the Taurus KEPD 350 air-launched cruise missile. It’s also slated to be armed with a homegrown air-launched air-to-surface missile that was trialled in a separation check from a FA-50 late in Jun. 2025.
KF-21 and Indonesia
Col. Ferrel Rigonald piloting the KF-21 Boramae is a part of Seoul’s and Jakarta’s 7.5 trillion Gained ($6.3 billion) collaboration established in 2014, with the latter dedicated to paying 20% of the event price. Nevertheless, in 2018 Indonesia sought to renegotiate its share of the fee, resuming the fee of its share in 2022.
Issues surfaced in 2024, when two Indonesian engineers had been accused of making an attempt to smuggle out the plane’s technical knowledge in flash drives. The DAPA, the Nationwide Intelligence Service and the Protection Counterintelligence Command launched a probe, with the Herald Company subsequently reporting that it was discovered that no labeled knowledge leaks happened.
🇰🇷 South Korean KF-21 Boramae has flown for the primary time right now pic.twitter.com/ZhDVBuz4a0
— Fighterman_FFRC (@Fighterman_FFRC) July 19, 2022
The publication additionally reported that the Indonesian facet had points with the scope of the know-how switch. KEDGlobal reported on Jun. 13, 2025, that DAPA agreed to cut back Indonesia’s contribution for the KF-21 “by two thirds” to 600 billion received ($440 million), conditioned on “transferring much less know-how than earlier agreed” to Jakarta. An settlement to that impact was signed through the Indo Defence Expo & Discussion board held in Jakarta.
KF-21 and Poland
Poland and South Korea have already got established protection industrial ties, following Warsaw’s 2022 contract with KAI for 48 FA-50 fighter jets. By 2024, the Polish Air Drive deployed 12 FA-50GF (Hole Filler) plane amid the retirement of its Soviet-era MiG-29 fighters. The settlement plans phased induction of the remaining 36 FA-50PL airframes which have custom-made Poland-specific enhancements.
Maj. Gen. Nowak visited the manufacturing website the place the FA-50PLs are at present being produced, and later “test-drove” the plane, a machine translation of the KAI assertion stated. This go to was part of “strategic cooperation between the air forces.”
In truth, KAI stated it’s working to create “a chance to vary buyer notion of the KF-21 from a fighter jet underneath growth to a platform able to precise operations by way of buyer check drives of the KF-21 and inspections of the mass-produced plane manufacturing website.” That is being achieved additionally with the target to acquire export orders for the brand new plane.
“KAI is actively collaborating within the Polish next-generation fighter jet introduction undertaking and strengthening advertising and marketing actions to increase into the European market,” defined the press launch. “The Polish Air Drive is contemplating the introduction of 32 further fighters to switch its growing older fighter fleet and strengthen its wartime operational capabilities, and KAI is selling the export of the KF-21 primarily based on cooperation by way of the FA-50.”
Conclusion
From a protection industrial standpoint, persevering with the plane’s growth with overseas companions additionally enhances the KF-21’s marketability, as South Korea has already ticked one field being itself the plane’s main consumer. The plane might turn out to be a less expensive different to costlier Western plane just like the F-35 Lightning II, Eurofighter Hurricane, Dassault Rafale, Saab Gripen E, F-15EX and even Russian and Chinese language jets just like the Su-35S, Su-30SM and the J-10CE.
KAI has referred to as the supply of the primary 12 FA-50GFs to Poland inside one 12 months and three months as “securing a bridgehead for advancing into the European market.” Nevertheless, it doesn’t finish there as “KAI is strengthening pioneering actions for the primary export of the KF-21 not solely in Europe but in addition within the Center East and Asia by way of Workforce KF-21, which was fashioned primarily based on help (from) the Korean authorities and the Air Drive.”
🇲🇨🇰🇷KF-21 prototype 002 check fired an IRIS-T missile😎 pic.twitter.com/7FnJbZcpTG
— defenceview (@defenceview_id) April 5, 2023
Southeast Asia, Latin America and rising African economies too are anticipated to have a rising marketplace for cost-effective Gen. 4.5 multirole fighters. Nevertheless, a serious hurdle stays because the twin-engine jet is powered by the U.S..made Common Electrical F414-GE-400K turbofan engines that additionally energy the Boeing F/A-18E/F Tremendous Hornet and the Saab Gripen.
1/🇰🇷 DAPA “efficiently carried out a secure separation check for a homegrown long-range air-to-surface guided missile underneath growth.DAPA plans to conduct numerous checks of the missile utilizing a check FA-50 plane earlier than verifying the missile on a KF-21 prototype beginning in 2027.” pic.twitter.com/iG0mhExQJy
— Man Plopsky (@GuyPlopsky) June 25, 2025
The engines are licensed for manufacture by Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace, which on Jun. 26, 2025 obtained a 623.2 billion-won (US$459.3 million) follow-up contract from DAPA. Together with a 556.2 billion received contract in 2024, Hanwha Aerospace will ship 80 items of F414 engines for the primary mass-produced batch of KF-21 jets by Dec. 2028.
