Posted on 10/21/2011 9:01:55 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
SEOUL AIR SHOW: KF-X vision unveiled
In a seminar today at the Seoul Air Show, South Korean government officials outlined the strategy and plans for the KF-X, a twin-engined stealth fighter with a design goal of achieving manoeuvrability, speed and range performance between a Lockheed Martin F-16 and a Boeing F-15.
South Korea wants to develop the KF-X over the next nine years, with mass production beginning after 2020. Indonesia has already joined the programme, and talks with Turkey are continuing.
If developing an all-new stealth fighter is not enough of a challenge, South Korea also intends to equip the KF-X with a set of all-new weapons, including indigenous missiles in the Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM class, guided bombs and an anti-ship missile. South Korean officials have released a development budget estimate of about US$5 billion, which seems (wildly?) optimistic.
KF-X has previously been pictured with canards, but that concept was nowhere in today's presenations. Instead, the KF-X appears to have morphed into a more conventional fighter. It appears similar a two-engine variant of the Lockheed F-35. This is Korea's vision for the KF-X. Eurofighter presented an alternative vision of KF-X, which I will present later.
(Excerpt) Read more at flightglobal.com ...
Ripoff.
agreed
Looks like Korea is stealing the JSF.
I see they haven’t settled on a single design yet. Nice looking concept drawings though.
Korea and others must combat the Chinese J-20. That is the challenge if you want to avoid Chinese domination
Taiwan tried that. Maybe they should team up. The Philippines should join too, I don’t even think they have a real air force at present.
bump
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Maybe they see something in the JSF design that they like and want incorporated into their KF-X?
Less stealthy JSF-style with two engines, essentially.
If it ever gets designated as KF-C I’m making a chicken run!!!
Well, at least that way, it will be fielded!
Looks like a really nice design for the 1980s.
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