Korea Aerospace Industries on Sept. 3 began final assembly of the prototype of the country's first homegrown fighter jet. (Defense Acquisition Program Administration)
By Lee Kyoung Mi and Lee Jihae
Final assembly has begun of the prototype of Korea's first homegrown fighter jet (KF-X), a plane set for completion and unveiling early next year.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration on Sept. 3 said Korea Aerospace Industries has started final assembly of the KF-X prototype.
The final assembly is the process of combining each of the main components of the fuselage, namely the main wing and the central and rear fuselage. Development was kicked off in December 2015.
Fears had grown over the difficulty of developing a domestic prototype for electronically scanned array radar without foreign technology. The prototype, however, was successfully released last month and the development of the KF-X system has since proceeded smoothly.
The project is the country's biggest in weapons development. The development budget alone is KRW 8.6 trillion, and another KRW 10 trillion will go toward producing 120 fighters.
The military will run on-ground and aerial trials for about five years to complete the KF-X's development by 2026.
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