Philippines to Pursue Acquisition of Up to 40 KF-21 Jets

Currently, loan discussions are underway between the Philippine government and the Export-Import Bank of Korea, and the Philippines is in a situation where administrative support from the Export-Import Bank is essential due to budget issues.

Local military experts attach great significance to the Philippines introducing KF-21 ahead of Indonesia.

Currently, with the 3.6 trillion won budget allocated to the Philippines, about 20 units are considered an appropriate level.

Philippine parliamentary officials showed active interest by visiting Korea Aerospace Industries to inspect KF-21 and FA-50.

Indonesia, as the first customer operating Korean defense equipment such as KT-1, T-50, and submarines, has experienced various benefits.

The Philippines expects these benefits, and its current administration's pro-American stance, coupled with the need to strengthen national defense against the Chinese threat, is leading it to take an active stance in cooperation with Korea.

The Philippines gained significant experience by operating 12 FA-50s in actual combat. While the Philippines and Thailand operate the FA-50 in combat, the Philippines has had more actual combat missions than Thailand.

The results of these FA-50 combat operations serve as an important basis for the decision to introduce the KF-21.

Modern air combat determines victory not merely by the physical performance of fighter jets but by strategic elements. The key to victory lies in the ability to coordinate with ground radars and other fighter jets, that is, networking capability through data link systems. No matter how strong the enemy, one can exploit weaknesses and win by leveraging the network.

This was proven in the Ukraine War when an F-16 shot down a Russian Su-35. Analysis suggests that network-based coordinated operations played a decisive role in overcoming superior force differences.

Modern air warfare is no longer a battle of individual fighter jets but has transformed into a war that requires the sharing of information and organic cooperation across the entire battlefield.

Therefore, the Philippines' decision to introduce the KF-21 can also be interpreted as a result of significantly considering this network capability.

The plan is to construct a total of six ships by 2036, starting with the delivery of the lead ship in 2032.

The KDDX boasts a hull size of over 6,500 tons and is expected to have world-class combat capabilities. The localization rate of major components is very high, with almost all parts, except for the propulsion system (GE LM2500), developed with domestic technology.

Air-defense missiles, land-attack missiles, close-in weapon systems, radar, infrared tracking equipment, and sonar have all been localized and applied with an integrated electric propulsion system, improving stealth.

The KDDX incorporates a pyramid-shaped stealth mast in its design, making it difficult for radar to detect. This is a result of integrating equipment such as radars inside the mast's top, rather than exposing them externally like a display case.

It will be equipped with domestically developed missiles superior to US-made Standard missiles, and its Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar provides excellent multi-target tracking capabilities.

Unlike cruise missiles, these missiles fly at ultra-high speeds of Mach 5-6 or more, allowing for rapid strikes to hit targets within 20 minutes.

These ship-to-land ballistic missiles are scheduled to be deployed on the Jeongjo the Great-class destroyers and KDDX.

It moves away from relying on imported equipment and increases export profitability with an integrated system.

This packaging strategy contributes to enhancing the profitability and competitiveness of Korean defense products in overseas markets.

This is because KDDX can meet the US Navy's requirements for 8,000-10,000-ton ships.

It is predicted that an export-oriented KDDX for the US Navy will be fully possible in the 2030s when the KDDX is completed.