South Korea redefines the “Loyal wingman” for its KAI KF-21 advanced fighter
South Korea's "Loyal wingman," which is expected to operate alongside the new 4.5th generation KF-21 Boramae fighter in a manned and unmanned squadron configuration, is undergoing design changes and may be scaled down, just as in size physical.
The “loyal wingman” unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) produced by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is undergoing design changes to “meet future market needs ,” reads a recent report published in Janes. The manufacturer said a key change could be downsizing the aircraft.
The UCAV program was developed to support the 4.5th generation KF-21 aircraft, offering a combat platform that is attractive, affordable to acquire and has low operating costs. Manufacturer KAI acknowledged that while the UCAV was developed at a lower cost than the KF-21, program expenses increased along with it.
A company representative informed Janes on August 19 that “this is because KAI engineers are looking for optimal design options [including] the use of a [high-performance] turbofan engine.” The “iterated or revised design can be scaled down without reducing capabilities,” the representative specified.
Initially, the designers had envisaged the size of the UCAV to be a third of that of the KF-21. During the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition 2023 (ADEX 23), held in October 2023, Janes was informed that the autonomous fighter could be 14 meters long and 10 meters wide, dimensions approximately similar to those of the FA -50 Light Attack Aircraft.
“Loyal wingman” drone hypothesis in South Korea
However, the project was reconsidered again. In recent correspondence, the publication was informed that “if a revised design is expected to meet the requirements, a change in aircraft dimensions may occur at any time during the design iteration.” The KAI spokesperson said: “As KAI's faithful wingman is in the conceptual design stage, in fact, there may be many options to meet the expected future market.”
KAI KF-21 Boramae from Wikipedia
Korean KF-21 Boramae fighter
The KF-21 , an advanced supersonic fighter, has entered production and is expected to be introduced by 2026. The aircraft has been designed in a way that allows customers to equip it with new technologies even after its production.
This goal is part of the next generation air and space combat system, which KAI defines as a complex, interconnected system of sensors and platforms that includes drones, manned fighter jets, satellites and airborne warning aircraft. The wingman drone program is part of this extended vision of air combat, indeed we could say that this fighter was designed with this option already in mind.
In February 2024, KAI executives reiterated that they plan to incorporate unmanned technology capable of operating alongside the KF-21 under the manned-unmanned teaming (MUMT) program, which involves pairing manned fighters such as the KF-21 with unmanned combat vehicles, such as unmanned fighters and small UAVs.
From Janes: Loyal Wingman hypothesis alongside KF-21
South Korea is serious about the Loyal Wingman
In May 2023, South Korea unveiled a Loyal Wingman concept and told reporters that the plan was still evolving, although development was ongoing. The project was first revealed in a photo of a flying/fused wing UAV inside a factory. Engineers surrounding the airframe suggested that it was a prototype.
Later in October 2023, KAI representatives said the company was developing air-launched effects (ALE) to attach to the unmanned fighter. KAI's “Adaptable Air Platforms” (AAPs), which are ALEs, will be subordinated to the larger unmanned fighter in this upgraded two-tier manned and unmanned (MUM-T) teaming system.
At the time, a computer-generated image showed the KF-21 attached to a large unmanned fighter, which was linked to smaller drones used for electronic intelligence (ELINT), electronic warfare (EW), optical reconnaissance and anti-aircraft purposes. -radar.
The concept showed the drone on the wingman's right wing as an “electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) intelligence-gathering adaptive aerial platform (AAP).” The drone next to it is an “AAP for decoy operations”, while the one next to the wingman's left wing is an “AAP for jamming adversary systems”.
In non-low observable mode, the Boramae was observed equipped with a full loadout, which included four long-range air-to-air missiles mounted on concave launchers under the fuselage, external fuel tanks, an air-to-ground missile (AGM), and an air-to-air missile (AAM) attached to each wing pylon. Additionally, the right engine air intake is equipped with a targeting pod.
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The article South Korea redefines the “Loyal wingman” for its KAI KF-21 advanced fighter comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/la-corea-del-sud-ridefinisce-il-loyal-wingman-per-il-proprio-caccia-avanzato-kai-kf-21/ on Mon, 26 Aug 2024 15:10:10 +0000.