First European Country Considers KF-21 ‘Boramae’ Purchase
In recent days there has been a new development in Poland and South Korea’s ever strengthening defense ties – could Poland be set to purchase the KF-21? Polish defense news outlet Defence 24 asked the Polish Armament Group about the possibility of Poland procuring South Korea’s new KF-21 ‘Boramae’ air superiority and multi-role fighter.
The Polish Armament Group (PGZ) is currently working alongside Korean Aerospace Industry in the ‘Polonization’ of the FA-50 Fighting Eagle to the FA-50PL Block 20 standard. With Pilots currently in South Korea training on the FA-50 questions naturally turned to the possible procurement of the Gen 4+ KF-21 fighter. In response to Defence 24’s query PGZ said:
“It is possible that in the future that… an industrial cooperation in the area of development and production of the KF-21 Boramae, where the natural partner for KAI Ltd. would be, among others, Military Aviation Plant No. 2 in Bydgoszcz, the leader of aviation trade in Poland, that already has experience in maintenance and restoration of F-16s or C-130 Hercules.”
Defence 24
There are several reasons for potential Polish interest in KF-21 procurement. Relations between Warsaw and Seoul are at an all time high with planned defense cooperation and the purchase of hundreds of tanks, howitzers, and MLRS alongside FA-50 jets. Secondly, the possibility of manufacturing parts or even assembling the KF-21 in a Polish plant would be something that Lockheed-Martin could not provide in regards to the Polish procurement of F-16 or F-35. The Polish Air Force suffers from a deficit of modern fighter jets as its 48 F-16 C/D Block 52+ are in need of upgrades and eventual replacement. While the MoD has already signed the agreement for delivery of 32 F-35, those will only replace Poland’s venerable MiG-29s.
For cooperation between PGZ and KAI to happen the Polish Ministry of Defense will need to officially procure the KF-21. Whether that will happen remains to be seen but the KF-21 has the potential to provide considerable capability at a smaller cost than larger orders of the F-35. Time will tell if Poland and South Koreas defense cooperation will expand even further to include another fighter aircraft.