KAI and Hyundai Rotem to co-develop long-range air-to-air missile for KF-21

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Hyundai Rotem have agreed to jointly develop and integrate long-range air-to-air missiles for the KF-21 Boramae fighter. 

The memorandum of understanding was signed on August 12, 2026, at KAI’s headquarters in Sacheon, in southeastern South Korea. It covers the development and systems integration of airborne weapons, including long-range air-to-air missiles, alongside cooperation on aircraft platforms such as the KF-21. 

The companies said they would also explore package-type export models combining aircraft with their onboard weapons, and cooperate on identifying business opportunities domestically and abroad, as well as on joint marketing. 

KAI expands domestic weapons partnerships 

The agreement is the third of its kind KAI has concluded in 2026. In February 2026, at the World Defense Show in Riyadh, the company signed comparable memoranda with Hanwha Aerospace and LIG Nex1, both covering domestically produced airborne weapons and joint export marketing for the KF-21 and the FA-50. 

South Korea’s long-range air-to-air missile effort is led by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and is scheduled to run from 2026 to 2033, following approval by the Defense Project Promotion Committee in late 2025. The weapon is intended to reduce the Republic of Korea Air Force’s dependence on imported beyond-visual-range missiles, including the MBDA Meteor. 

Hyundai Rotem is best known as a manufacturer of armored vehicles, including the K2 main battle tank, and trains. The memorandum extends a diversification into aerospace that the company has said also covers propulsion systems, long-range air-to-air guided weapons and hypersonic flight vehicles. 

KF-21 moves from development to deliveries 

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration declared the KF-21 development program complete on July 29, 2026, at a ceremony held at KAI’s Sacheon site, closing an 8.8 trillion won ($6.04 billion) project that entered system development in 2015. The aircraft cleared its final combat suitability evaluation on May 7, 2026, two months after KAI rolled out the first mass-production airframe. 

KAI plans to deliver the first batch of 40 KF-21s to the Republic of Korea Air Force by 2028, followed by 80 aircraft with expanded capabilities by 2032, for a fleet of 120. The post KAI and Hyundai Rotem to co-develop long-range air-to-air missile for KF-21 appeared first on AeroTime.

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