Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) has developed a single-engined version of the Korean Fighter Xperiment (KFX) indigenous stealth fighter prototype in an effort to get the stalled programme back on track.
Officials at the Seoul Aerospace and Defence Exhibition (ADEX 2013) told IHS Jane's that the single-engined version, dubbed the C501, was a low-cost option that combined elements of the in-production FA-50 light fighter and the twin-engine KFX technology demonstrator, called the C103, that completed its technical development in 2013.
The KFX programme was announced in 2001 and originally conceived as a twin-engine stealth multirole fighter with stealth characteristics. Technical development of the first prototype, dubbed C103, was completed in 2013 and South Korea entered an agreement with Indonesia in 2011 to share the cost of developing the platform. Initial operating capability for the KFX/IFX was planned for 2023.
Read the full story at IHS Jane's 360