A glimpse inside a Korean fighter jet manufacturing plant

A prototype of the KF-21 fighter jet prepares for a test flight at the headquarters of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. Joint Press Corps

Korea on track to supply initial batch of FA-50s to Poland in July

By Lee Hyo-jin

SACHEON, South Gyeongsang Province ― On the afternoon of May 9, more than a dozen engineers were busily working on the assembly lines at a manufacturing plant of the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).

Based in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, around 430 kilometers away from Seoul, KAI is the country's sole aircraft maker. The fixed-wing aircraft production facility, measuring 21,600 square meters in area, is where KAI's fighter jets are manufactured.

"This facility has been in operation for the last 30 years. As you can see, there are no pillars in this building, which shows our philosophy that we will produce planes of any size," said Lee Sang-hui, head of KAI's Aircraft Production Department, as he showed reporters around the facility.

During a media tour organized by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), reporters were offered a rare look at how Korea's domestically developed KF-21 fighter jets and FA-50 light attack fighters are made.

At first glance, there seemed to be only a few engineers on duty compared to the large size of the manufacturing plant, which is bigger than three football fields put together. That is because a substantial portion of the manufacturing process ― which requires the assembly of over 300,000 parts and components ― is automated.

The official explained that KAI uses a proprietary Fuselage Automated Splice System (FASS) for fuselage assembly system, which drastically speeds up the production process and minimizes errors to near zero.

An official of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) leads reporters on a tour of its headquarters in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. Joint Press Corps

In the last few months, the manufacturing plant has been enjoying its busiest period following a mega deal secured between Korea and Poland. KAI signed an agreement with Poland last July to export 48 FA-50 fighter jets, the largest-ever deal involving that model. Earlier this year, KAI won a 1.2 trillion won ($920 million) deal to export 18 FA-50 jets to Malaysia.

The aircraft maker said it is on track to reach its goal of delivering 12 FA-50s to Poland within this year. It plans to hold a roll-out ceremony for the first plane in July, attended by both Korean and Polish defense officials. Two FA-50s will then be sent to Warsaw by late July and be assembled by early August.

"We plan to build additional production lines next year, which would drastically scale up our manufacturing capacity," Lee said. Once increased, the facility will be able to assemble two to three KF-21s and four FA-50s per month.

At a hangar located near the manufacturing plant, a prototype of the KF-21 currently under development was preparing for a test flight. The warplane has a total of 10 pods for weapons such as air-to-air missiles, and is capable of traveling 2,200 kilometers per hour with a maximum range of 2,900 kilometers.

Since its maiden flight in July 2022, four prototypes of the KF-21 have flown about 200 sorties so far, including a flight reaching supersonic speeds. KAI plans to carry out aerial refueling drills in the latter half of this year.

The Korean and Indonesian flags were emblazoned on the side of the KF-21 jet, marking the joint project between the two countries. In 2010, the two nations inked a deal to co-develop the KF-21, a 4.5-generation fighter plane boasting more advanced aerial combat capabilities than the KF-16 fighter.

Under the agreement, Jakarta would fund 20 percent of the total development cost of 8.8 trillion won ($6.7 billion), in exchange for 48 planes that would be manufactured there for the Indonesian Air Force, as well as technology transfers.

However, Indonesia has yet to pay its share, or 1.6 trillion won, by 2026 as promised. It has so far paid only a fraction of its promised contributions.

Eom Dong-hwan, minister of DAPA, told reporters that the Southeast Asian country has promised to give a detailed time frame on the remaining payment by the end of July.

Eom Dong-hwan, minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, second from left, speaks during a press conference at the headquarters of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. Joint Press Corps

"Indonesia made a payment of some 40 million won in late February," he said, noting that Jakarta seems to be struggling with the payment. "Our project team chief will visit Indonesia soon to discuss the matter with senior defense officials."

The media tour also included a demonstration of how air-to-air missiles are attached to the KF-21. The engineers attached a dummy Meteor air-to-air missile developed by Britain's MBDA and a mock short-range AIM-2000 by Germany's Diehl on the first KF-21 prototype.

Employees at Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) arm a KF-21 prototype with a mock AIM-2000 air-to-air missile at a hangar in the company's headquarters in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. Joint Press Corps

During a press conference held on the same day, KAI CEO Kang Gu-young said his company will continue to expand its presence in the global market. He stressed that the United States remains one of the most significant markets for KAI and shared plans to make all-out efforts there starting next year.

In response to a question about the possibility of Poland joining the KF-21 project, Kang cautiously commented that it has yet to receive an official request from Poland, but said the company is open to proposals for cooperation from the European country.

He also added that KAI, along with DAPA, held an unofficial meeting with Sebastian Chwalek, chairman of the state-owned Polish Armaments Group, during his visit to Korea last month.

Kang also hinted at the possibility of an export deal for a Surion helicopter, which would mark the first overseas sale of the military aircraft. "Discussions are underway with a certain country at a detailed level. Our goal is to win at least one deal within this year," he said.