The KAI KF-21 Boromae fighter was developed through a collaboration between South Korea and Indonesia. But because it does not have the radar-resistant features of fifth-generation fighters, it is the reason Indonesia has now discontinued the collaboration and switched to the Turkish-made TAI KAAN aircraft.
Although now moving alone, the development of the KF-21 continues and now Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has shown the KF-21EX variant that can carry weapons in its body. This will also reduce the radar reflection cross-section, making it harder to detect. In addition, the design of the radar cone and cockpit has been modified and the IRST pod that was previously in front of the cockpit has been replaced with an Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) pod under the nose.
The KF-21EX was developed for South Korea's needs in case it needs to attack North Korea in the future. It needs to have the ability to enter South Korean airspace undetected and then drop smart bombs of up to 2000 pounds on enemy strongholds. Like the KF-21, the KF-21EX is also designed to operate with the Low Observable Unmanned Wingman System (LOWUS) escort drone, which was shown off in February.
At the same time, offering a stealth fighter would make the KF-21EX more attractive to countries looking for an alternative to the F-35 and provide competition to the stealthy TAI KAAN.
When the KF-21 was launched, KAI put up a mock-up of the aircraft with the Malaysian flag. With Malaysia’s Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRC) program having been delayed several times, could the KF-21EX finally catch the eye after the KF-21 failed?