South Korea, with its 'cheaper' version of the F-35, watches as Canada reviews U.S. fighter deal

CBC

15-04-2025

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The reception hall at Korean Aerospace Industries Ltd. is, in many respects, every plane and helicopter lover's dream.
Filled with model aircraft, there's one in particular that stands out. At first glance, you'd be forgiven for confusing it for the now politically infamous — at least in Canadian terms — F-35 fighter.
The KF-21 Boramae (Hawk) has the same angled twin tails and similar sleek lines. When pointed out, a senior KAI manager sheepishly acknowledged the "stealthy design" resemblance.
If all of the heated campaign rhetoric and trade war posturing is to be believed, Canada may be in the market for something other than the U.S.-manufactured F-35.
We'll see.
The Liberals have openly threatened to accept the first 16 aircraft on order and then look elsewhere to fill out the flight lines of the Royal Canadian Air Force, which for decades has coveted the Lockheed Martin-built jets.
One of the reasons the air force has been in favour of the F-35 is because of its advanced capabilities, especially its sensors and connectivity. One of the reasons the politicians have balked is the enormous $19-billion price tag and the huge cost of ownership where the bulk of the in-service support would have to be done in the United States.
South Korea, like Canada, wants advanced capability. But the country set out more than 15 years ago to design and build its own next-generation fighter, which coincidentally — or perhaps not — ended up looking like the F-35.
There are important differences, namely the KF-21 has two engines, not one.
And the Koreans have had trouble integrating one of the key stealth characteristics of carrying weapons — bombs and missiles — on the inside of the aircraft, as opposed to underneath or on the wings.
Jason Ahn, KAI's senior manager for North America, said the design kinks have been worked out and the company now has six prototype planes. Most significantly, it has begun full production of the jets for the Korean Air Force and its junior development partner nation Indonesia.
Since the Liberal government has signalled Canada may be ready to pivot away from the F-35, there's been considerable debate in the online aviation community about whether the KF-21 is a credible alternative. Opinions are mixed and the jury is still out as far as defence specialists are concerned.
The KF-21 was developed as part of a $6.6 billion US project to replace South Korea's aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 fighters, and it has been touted as a "cheaper" alternative.
"KF-21 will be substantially cheaper than the fourth-generation, front-line fighters," Ahn said in a recent interview at the company's manufacturing plant in Sacheon, South Korea. "This aircraft has better maintainability designed in from the get-go, compared to other fifth-generation fighters [such as the F-35] … we believe we have more — or better — flexibility in terms of maintaining the aircraft."
CBC News was given access to the aerospace plant in the southern part of the country and saw KF-21s in production and the prototypes. But South Korean security officials refused permission to independently shoot photographs or video of the advanced warplanes, insisting only company images could be used.
Ahn said a number of countries had approached South Korea about buying the aircraft, but he wouldn't disclose who they might be.
KAI did not take part in Canada's fighter jet competition, which ended up with the selection of the F-35 in 2022. Instead, it recently expressed interest in supplying Canada's requirement for training aircraft by offering its other homegrown design, the T-50 Golden Eagle.
The company was eager to talk about that pitch and showcase the light aircraft, which had its debut in 2002.
Hahn said one of the attractive features of that jet is that it could be re-rolled to become a light combat aircraft should Canada need to quickly expand the capability of its air force in an emergency.
"The key word is versatile and the FA-50 is capable of not only the trainer side of the aircraft, but also the mission side of the aircraft. It is capable of conducting air-to-air missions with medium-range missiles and AESA radar, and also capable of air-to-ground attack missions with sniper targeting pods and Maverick missiles and all that."
The company never received a reply to its proposal late last year and therefore it's unclear how it was received by the Defence Department, which has been consumed with the plan to introduce the F-35 and all of the associated infrastructure overhauls that go with it.
Question of commitment to 'Made in Canada'
Would either the KF-21 or the T/FA-50 be suitable alternatives if Canada's relationship with Washington deteriorates further?
Within South Korea's defence establishment, there's deep skepticism about how serious either a re-elected Liberal government or a new Conservative government would be to diversify military purchases and trade.
The apprehension may be justified. Talks between Canada and the U.S. on a renewed trade deal are expected to get underway in the first week of May.
On Monday, as Liberal Leader Mark Carney underlined a recycled plan to create a Canadian defence procurement agency, he was asked whether his "Made in Canada" defence plan would be sacrificed for the broader objective of bringing an end to the trade war with the United States and securing access to the markets south of the border.
He didn't answer the question directly.
"When you go into negotiation, you have to know where you stand. You have to know what you want. You have to be strong. You have to be clear. That's why we're setting out these policies. They're in the interests of Canada," Carney said.