The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) aims to round off the aircraft development by 2026 for two years of test operations to follow. It plans to introduce some 120 KF-X fighters. “We are working on the shape design. It will be done by June 2018,” a DAPA official said. “It will be final. There is little chance of a change.” South Korea is also focusing on developing an indigenous AESA radar, a core element for the envisioned 4.5-generation stealth combat jet. AESA stands for active electronically scanned array. In 2016, the state-run Agency for Defense Development (ADD) signed a contract with Hanwha Thales, a local defense firm later renamed Hanwha Systems, for the manufacturing of the radar. The ADD has a separate deal for assistance from Israel’s Elta Systems on testing a prototype. 

Hanwha said it has produced the first prototype of the radar meant to demonstrate whether it’s able to proceed with the development of a system suitable for KF-X jets. South Korea is also seeking to purchase major weapon systems for the KF-X aircraft, especially for air-to-air engagement, from the United States or Europe. The United States, however, has been reluctant to provide information on some high-profile weapons, officials said. YONHAP