South Korea Weighs Designs for KF-X

A decadelong effort by South Korea to develop its own fighter aircraft has finally received approval, the KF-X indigenous project.
South Korea announced Jan. 5 that it would begin the KF-X development aiming to produce 120 KF-X jets between 2023 and 2030.
The announcement sparked a dispute over key specifications for the KF-X, especially over the design of the future jet.
The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) has long studied a twin-engine concept, either of the C103 design that looks somewhat like the F-35 or the C203 design following the European approach and using forward canards in a stealth-shaped airframe.
Both of the twin-engine platforms would be powered by two 18,000-pound engines.
Korea Aerospace Industries prefers a single-engine concept, dubbed C501, which is to be built based on the FA-50.
The C501, powered by a 29,000-pound engine, is designed to be fitted with a limited low-observable configuration and advanced avionics.
The FA-50 entered service in August with the South Korean Air Force.
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