South Korea has unveiled a prototype of its first-ever fighter jet at a ceremony held at the Korea Aerospace Industries manufacturing plant in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province.
Some 250 officials attended the unveiling on Friday, including President Moon Jae-in and Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto.
The KF-X, which stands for Korean Fighter eXperimental, will replace the South Korean Air Force’s aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 jets. The 18-point-six trillion won project is jointly funded by Indonesia.
Korean engineers have led the entire process from design to production while key components of the plane were also locally sourced.
The first flight test is scheduled for next year with development set to be completed by 2026. Once finished, South Korea will become the 13th country in the world to have developed its own fighter jet.
The prototype comes five years after development was launched and 20 years after the former Kim Dae-jung administration first set the goal for Seoul to produce its own combat aircraft.