The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 fighter has successfully performed an air-to-air refuelling at night.
The activity involved the fourth KF-21 prototype, one of two twin-seat jets in the six-aircraft testing programme, according to a video posted by South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
The video shows the aircraft making contacts with the boom of an Airbus Defence & Space A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) of the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF).
The DAPA did not provide the date or location of the activity, but several contacts appear to have made, starting from dusk. In one segment the jet’s formation light strips are clearly visible. The amount of fuel transferred was not disclosed.
The KF-21 test fleet has made over 1,100 flights since the aircraft’s maiden sortie in July 2022.
The night refuelling milestone comes just over one year after the fifth KF-21 prototype conducted the type’s first air-to-air refuelling, also with a ROKAF MRTT.
KAI kicked off mass production of the KF-21 in mid-2024, with the first production jet to enter service at the end of 2026.
