South Korea's domestically developed fighter jet successfully completed its first test flight on Tuesday, a defence agency said, amid a push to replace ageing military jets in the face of nuclear and missile threats from neighbouring North Korea.
The next-generation aircraft developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in a project partially backed by Indonesia is designed to be a cheaper, less stealthy alternative to the U.S.-built F-35, on which South Korea relies.
A prototype of the jet, dubbed KF-21, took off at 3:40 p.m. from an air force base in the southeastern city of Sacheon, and flew for about 30 minutes, the Defence Acquisition Program Administration said in a statement.
