KAI presents a promising model of the naval version of its KF-21 Boramae fighter

While everything led to believe a few weeks ago that Seoul had abandoned the idea of ​​acquiring an aircraft carrier, the statements of the South Korean Chief of Staff, General Kim Seung-kyum, on September 19, gave new brilliance to this ambition. Not only was the program not abandoned, but Seoul would now consider acquiring a more imposing ship, in the order of 60.000 tons, with the possibility of relying on a foreign partner to carry out the building. In addition, where the initial CVX was to implement 16 American F-35Bs, the new South Korean ship could, for its part, carry a naval version of the new KF-21 Boramae fighter designed by KAI, which made its first flight this summer. It only took a few days for this hypothesis to take shape at the Defense Expo 2022 exhibition in Goyang in the suburbs of Seoul, KAI having presented a model of the KF-21N, the on-board naval version of its aircraft.

The South Korean manufacturer clarified, during the presentation of this model, that it was only a concept of what could be a version of the Boramae intended to embark on board a possible future carrier. South Korean aircraft, a way of saying that to date, no order or contract has been officially notified to develop such a device by the authorities of the country. However, the model presented is in no way a simple KF-21 equipped with a landing gear and a reinforced landing gear. Indeed, the aircraft seems to have taken the measure of the constraints represented by the design and the implementation of such an apparatus.

Thus, the KF-21N is more imposing than the land version, with a length of 17,1 meters, 30 cm longer, and a wingspan of 12,3 meters against 11,2 for the initial version, giving the KF-21N a 20% larger wing area. The wings, precisely, can be folded over a length of about 1 meter, making it possible to reduce the ground footprint of the aircraft, a significant feature in the cramped hangars of an aircraft carrier. The KF-21N would be powered by two GE F-414s like the land version, and the maximum take-off weight would be identical between the two versions, even if the empty weight is slightly higher for the naval version. Finally, the device is presented with a reinforced undercarriage allowing catapult launch using a steam catapult or American Emals, and a landing hook which seems very light for a device of this mass. It should be noted in this regard that the ground clearance of the aircraft has been significantly increased, the height of the KF-21N exceeding that of the Boramae by 50 cm.

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