KFX/IFX News and Development

[SgtGungHo]

KFX single engine design by KAI that is rejected. Look like using F 16 design as base design.

C 103 design with two engine that was developed by ADD Korea and PT Dirgantara Indonesia is then decided to be base of KFX design and later results in C 109 design that become a final design.

KF-X has always meant to be a single engine design. ROKFA wanted an indigenous fighter aircraft that is only slightly better than F-16 C/D with local avionics, not a full blown 5th gen fighter. Only because of political pressure and national rivalries with surrounding countries, the Korean government decided to go with a twin-engine design.

 

[SgtGungHo]

If you look into the promotional video clip, the fighter aircraft doesn't have a conformal array and both EOTGP and IRST are exposed externally and no SawTooth pattern can be seen on the trailing edges jet engines, which means the aircraft would mostly likely to be a RO (Reduced Obeservable) fighter jet, not a LO (Low Observable) fighter jet. The first block of KF-X/IF-X won't be good as some other fighter jets with full stealth features.

However, this design is far more achievable than some other 'ambitious' 4.5~5th gen fighter jet projects for countries with no or little past experience in building 4.5+ fighter jets.

 

[Indos]

If you look into the promotional video clip, the fighter aircraft doesn't have a conformal array and both EOTGP and IRST are exposed externally and no SawTooth pattern can be seen on the trailing edges jet engines, which means the aircraft would mostly likely to be a RO (Reduced Obeservable) fighter jet, not a LO (Low Observable) fighter jet. The first block of KF-X/IF-X won't be good as some other fighter jets with full stealth features.

However, this design is far more achievable than some other 'ambitious' 4.5~5th gen fighter jet projects for countries with no or little past experience in building 4.5+ fighter jets.

Yup, many STEALTH features are compromised in the first block. Since the engine has been delivered, do you think the first prototype will be finished in early 2021, and not in June as in schedule ? There is big possibility IMO that the first prototype will be finished in January-February 2021 inshaAllah.

You also need to look on recent development on JDAM integration news, so there is big chance that the first block will have decent multi role capability. Maybe we will be getting news about another weapon integration some where in this year since we are still in a very early phase of prototyping. Mass production is scheduled to start in 2026 inshaAllah, so there are still 5 years to come. Short range AA missile integration also hasnt been in the form of contract yet despite what kind of missile to be integrated has been quite obvious.

 

[Indos]

Curtiss-Wright Selected by KAI to Provide Complete Data Acquisition System Solution for KF-X

26 Mei 2020



Axon miniature data acquisition system (photo : Curtiss Weight)

For Data Acquisition System used in flight tests for the Korean Fighter eXperimental (KF-X) aircraft program

ASHBURN, Va. – Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions division, a trusted leading supplier of flight test instrumentation (FTI) system solutions, today announced that it was awarded a contract by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) to provide a complete data acquisition system (DAS) for use in flight-test campaigns for the new 5th generation Korean Fighter eXperimental (KF-X) multirole fighter aircraft. Under the contract, Curtiss-Wright will provide KAI with a complete FTI system that gathers and processes data from the aircraft during test flights.

The fully integrated DAS solution will feature Curtiss-Wright’s next-generation Axon™ miniature data acquisition unit (DAU), the FTI industry’s most compact and high speed DAU. In addition, the DAS will include Curtiss-Wright’s KAM-500™ DAUs, NSW-12GT-1 12-Port Gigabit airborne network switches, TTS-9800-2 tri-band transmitter, nEUP-2000-1 engineering unit processor, ANT-00800T-1 L/S-band antenna, LDP-050-AB-1 airborne-rugged 5-inch diagonal display and GPS-FLR-100-1 active GPS splitter. Shipments, which are expected to begin in August 2020, are scheduled to run through the end of the year.

"We are very proud that our industry-leading integrated data acquisition technology has been selected by Korea Aerospace Industries to support the important 5th generation K-FX fighter jet program, further strengthening our long and successful relationship,” said Lynn Bamford, President, Defense and Power Segments. “Curtiss-Wright uniquely offers the components and expertise needed to provide FTI customers with complete fully integrated FTI system solutions. We are especially pleased, as this contract represents the largest win to date for our industry-leading Axon data acquisition system technology, as well as the first 5th generation fighter jet deployment for Axon.”

Flight-test campaigns are critical to determine that a new aircraft meets design specifications, is functional and safe, and can be certified for use. Such campaigns require significant resources and any delays are very costly, making it critically important that all FTI equipment work reliably to ensure that no unplanned extra flights are needed.

About the Axon Product Family

The Axon product family is the most advanced airborne data acquisition system available today, offering low size, weight and power (SWaP) with the best feature set, data acquisition and thermal performance on the market. The Axon product family builds on Curtiss-Wright’s heritage as the leading supplier of rugged reliable data acquisition for aerospace applications.

Axon’s future proof design, using a high-speed serial backplane (1 Gbps dedicated link per module), ensures future high data rates are supported. Its low SWaP design means it can be located in tight spaces and operate reliably without requiring bulky heatsinks. This design also allows any of the Axon family user modules to be placed in ultra-miniature "Axonite" housings and located remotely, separated from the chassis by up to 10 meters. Locating data acquisition closer to the sensors can significantly decrease the installation time and cost of the instrumentation while simultaneously reducing wiring weight. Axonites can also offer significant system cost saving in larger installations by reducing the number of DAUs required in remote locations and thus cutting down on extra chassis, controller and power supply costs.

Curtiss-Wright designed the products covered by this agreement at its Aerospace Instrumentation facilities in Newtown, Pennsylvania and Dublin, Ireland. The products are being shipped to KAI in Sacheon-City, Gyeongnam, Korea.

(Curtiss Wright)

 

[SgtGungHo]

KAI to finalize assembly of next-gen KF-X fighter jet in H2
By Kim Byung-wook
Published : Jun 10, 2020 - 16:59 Updated : Jun 11, 2020 - 07:22

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KF-X rendering (KAI)


Korea Aerospace Industries said Wednesday it will finalize the assembly of its next-generation KF-X fighter jet in the second half of this year.

South Korea’s sole aircraft manufacturer is currently assembling each of the top, middle and bottom parts of the fuselage of its fifth-generation fighter and the final assembly is scheduled for the second half of the year.

"To introduce a prototype next year, KAI is looking forward to a final assembly of the jet in the period,” a company official said.

“Also, we have received 15 engines from General Electric to power six prototypes, with each requiring two engines. The remaining three are spares.”

KAI selected GE Aviation in May 2016 to supply the F414-GE-400K engines for the KF-X fighter. The multirole KF-X jet, a $7.4 billion project, is being designed and built by KAI.

The KF-X aircraft will replace Korea’s F-4D/E Phantom II and F-5E/F Tiger II fleet. The development program is scheduled to be completed in 2026, while flight testing will occur in 2023. A total of 120 KF-X aircrafts are scheduled for production for the Air Force. GE Aviation will provide 240 F414 engines plus spares.

GE has partnered with Korea many times to power aircrafts in their inventory. GE’s F404 engines currently power the country’s T-50 Golden Eagle, a high-performance supersonic trainer developed with KAI for the Korean Air Force. GE’s T700 turboshaft engines power the Korean utility helicopter Surion. Additionally, GE’s F110 engines power the Air Force’s F-15K aircraft.

By Kim Byung-wook (kbw@heraldcorp.com)

http://khnews.kheraldm.com/view.php?ud=20200610000863

======================================================================

Assembly of first IF-X/KF-X prototype will be finalized by the end of 2020. My concern is that we don't know when would Indonesian engineers who left Korea because of pandemic return to Korea. It is still uncertain if Indonesia is fully committed to the project. According to GE, the company already delivered the first F414 engine to KAI in May. This article claims that 15 engines for prototypes have already delivered, but it is incorrect as Korea won't receive all engines for prototypes until the end of next year.

 

[Indos]

KAI to finalize assembly of next-gen KF-X fighter jet in H2
By Kim Byung-wook
Published : Jun 10, 2020 - 16:59 Updated : Jun 11, 2020 - 07:22

• ◀ Back to List
• More article by this Writer

KF-X rendering (KAI)


Korea Aerospace Industries said Wednesday it will finalize the assembly of its next-generation KF-X fighter jet in the second half of this year.

South Korea’s sole aircraft manufacturer is currently assembling each of the top, middle and bottom parts of the fuselage of its fifth-generation fighter and the final assembly is scheduled for the second half of the year.

"To introduce a prototype next year, KAI is looking forward to a final assembly of the jet in the period,” a company official said.

“Also, we have received 15 engines from General Electric to power six prototypes, with each requiring two engines. The remaining three are spares.”

KAI selected GE Aviation in May 2016 to supply the F414-GE-400K engines for the KF-X fighter. The multirole KF-X jet, a $7.4 billion project, is being designed and built by KAI.

The KF-X aircraft will replace Korea’s F-4D/E Phantom II and F-5E/F Tiger II fleet. The development program is scheduled to be completed in 2026, while flight testing will occur in 2023. A total of 120 KF-X aircrafts are scheduled for production for the Air Force. GE Aviation will provide 240 F414 engines plus spares.

GE has partnered with Korea many times to power aircrafts in their inventory. GE’s F404 engines currently power the country’s T-50 Golden Eagle, a high-performance supersonic trainer developed with KAI for the Korean Air Force. GE’s T700 turboshaft engines power the Korean utility helicopter Surion. Additionally, GE’s F110 engines power the Air Force’s F-15K aircraft.

By Kim Byung-wook (kbw@heraldcorp.com)

http://khnews.kheraldm.com/view.php?ud=20200610000863

======================================================================

Assembly of first IF-X/KF-X prototype will be finalized by the end of 2020. My concern is that we don't know when would Indonesian engineers who left Korea because of pandemic return to Korea. It is still uncertain if Indonesia is fully committed to the project. According to GE, the company already delivered the first F414 engine to KAI in May. This article claims that 15 engines for prototypes have already delivered, but it is incorrect as Korea won't receive all engines for prototypes until the end of next year.

Thanks for the article, it is a good news. There is no hint whatsoever about what is going on in the renegotiation process. There is no reporter who asked this question to our Minister of Defense so far and no news coming from government as well until now regarding this project.

 

[Indos]

KAI to finalize assembly of next-gen KF-X fighter jet in H2
By Kim Byung-wook
Published : Jun 10, 2020 - 16:59 Updated : Jun 11, 2020 - 07:22

• ◀ Back to List
• More article by this Writer

KF-X rendering (KAI)


Korea Aerospace Industries said Wednesday it will finalize the assembly of its next-generation KF-X fighter jet in the second half of this year.

South Korea’s sole aircraft manufacturer is currently assembling each of the top, middle and bottom parts of the fuselage of its fifth-generation fighter and the final assembly is scheduled for the second half of the year.

"To introduce a prototype next year, KAI is looking forward to a final assembly of the jet in the period,” a company official said.

“Also, we have received 15 engines from General Electric to power six prototypes, with each requiring two engines. The remaining three are spares.”

KAI selected GE Aviation in May 2016 to supply the F414-GE-400K engines for the KF-X fighter. The multirole KF-X jet, a $7.4 billion project, is being designed and built by KAI.

The KF-X aircraft will replace Korea’s F-4D/E Phantom II and F-5E/F Tiger II fleet. The development program is scheduled to be completed in 2026, while flight testing will occur in 2023. A total of 120 KF-X aircrafts are scheduled for production for the Air Force. GE Aviation will provide 240 F414 engines plus spares.

GE has partnered with Korea many times to power aircrafts in their inventory. GE’s F404 engines currently power the country’s T-50 Golden Eagle, a high-performance supersonic trainer developed with KAI for the Korean Air Force. GE’s T700 turboshaft engines power the Korean utility helicopter Surion. Additionally, GE’s F110 engines power the Air Force’s F-15K aircraft.

By Kim Byung-wook (kbw@heraldcorp.com)

http://khnews.kheraldm.com/view.php?ud=20200610000863

======================================================================

Assembly of first IF-X/KF-X prototype will be finalized by the end of 2020. My concern is that we don't know when would Indonesian engineers who left Korea because of pandemic return to Korea. It is still uncertain if Indonesia is fully committed to the project. According to GE, the company already delivered the first F414 engine to KAI in May. This article claims that 15 engines for prototypes have already delivered, but it is incorrect as Korea won't receive all engines for prototypes until the end of next year.

When you made first T50 plane prototype, did some one leak the picture of unfinished prototype ? I think Korean need to do that with KFX / IFX program so that more Indonesian public support can be taken that later hopefully can effect our decision maker to have more favorable view on the program. Indonesian member on this PDF are not representative of Indonesian people.

Lately I see favorable view from Indonesian regarding the program that can be checked from Youtube channel talking about the KFX/IFX program. The tone of the Youtuber are also positive after the project show good progress

 

[Indos]

 

[Indos]

30 June 2020

South Korea to develop supersonic ASM for future KF-X fighter aircraft
by Gabriel Dominguez

South Korea is planning to develop a new supersonic air-to-surface missile (ASM) that is expected to be carried by the Republic of Korea Air Force’s (RoKAF’s) future Korean Fighter eXperimental (KF-X) multirole fighter aircraft.

A Joint Chief of Staff (JCS) official told Janes on 30 June that the weapon is expected to fly at speeds in excess of Mach 2.5, weigh less than 3,000 lb (1.36 tonnes) and have a range of at least 250 km.

No further details were provided about the ASM.

The revelation comes after Janes reported on 28 May that South Korea had recently completed the selection process for the precision-guided munitions and guidance kits it plans to integrate with the KF-X, which is being developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), with PT Dirgantara Indonesia as KAI’s industry partner on the project.

South Korean military officials told Janes on 28 May that Raytheon’s GBU-12 Paveway II, Boeing’s GBU-31/38 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), GBU-54/56 Laser JDAM, and GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb1 (SDB1), as well as Textron’s Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) CBU-105 had all been selected for integration with the KF-X.

They said the integration process for the smart bombs and guidance kits, all of which are already in service with the RoKAF, would start later this year, with full integration expected over the coming six to seven years.

The move comes after MBDA Missile Systems announced in November 2019 that it had been awarded a contract for the integration of its Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) with the KF-X.

Also set for integration is the IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missile (SRAAM) by Germany’s Diehl Defence, with a contract expected to be signed in the near future.

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/...personic-asm-for-future-kf-x-fighter-aircraft

 

[Deino]

News on the KFX ... unfortunately I don't understand what it says but the prototype seems to take shape.

(via stealthflanker / SecretProjectsForum)

 

[Indos]

News on the KFX ... unfortunately I don't understand what it says but the prototype seems to take shape.

(via stealthflanker / SecretProjectsForum)

View attachment 648370

@SgtGungHo

Can you please translate this Korean language ?

 

[Indos]

KF-X's AESA radar has completed development!

- Agency for Defense Development and Hanwha Systems have finished development of AESA radar for the KF-X Korean Fighter Program.
- First radar will be publicly unveiled on August 12th at an official event.
- This radar has over 1,000 TR modules.
- This radar passed Critical Design Review (CDR) in September 26, 2019 and has been undergoing aerial testing since.
- US Congress refused technology transfer which was among the "4 critical technology" (AESA radar, EO TGP / IRST / RF Jammer) promised by Lockheed Martin with the purchase of F-35A Lightning II.
- South Korea independently developed the radar and Israeli ELTA Systems assisted in aerial testing. The prototype radar was said to be very positively received by Israeli personnel.
- This radar will undergo further testing aboard prototype KF-X aircraft, which will be rolled out next year.
KF-X용 AESA 레이더 개발이 완료되었다는 소식입니다!

http://biz.heraldcorp.com/view.php?ud=20200702000174

 

[dr.knowhow]

@SgtGungHo

Can you please translate this Korean language ?

I'm not SgtGungHo but could do the job.

"On 23rd of April participants and authorities of KF-X program gathered to celebrate the beginning of the integration of the front, middle and the rear structure of the fuselage. Thanks to hard work of all parties, the production of the first aircraft is on its final stage. Those who gathered in the celebration were quite impressed of the realization of the aircraft and its sheer size, which they were only able to see as a CATIA model before. The punctuality of the process and KAI's high level of technology has added up to the positive impression. Everyone are motivated and eager to realize the roll out of the prototype by April next year."

Its published in KAI's own magazine so obviously they're praising themselves and are trying to motivate other employees. Though sure, rightly so, that the aircraft production is on track without any delays as of now. It's 4.5 gen for a reason.



Apart from this recent development of the program, on last year's 'Defense Technology Survey' it has been published which technologies are need to develop a 5th gen KF-X blk.3 and VLO surveilance UAV. I'm quite busy so I couldn't post all the details but it seems that quite a lot of those basic technologies needed to develop block 3 is already being researched. Not all the technologies that are mentioned to be applied in block 3 are stated on the paper, although it gives a good insight of a bigger picture.

Block 2 is going to be developed by 2028 and although there is currently no official plan from the ROKAF of developing block 3, I suspect that its not gonna take much time for the development to commence, hence the fact that ROKAF is planning to begin retiring its Viper fleets by late 2030s. Considering the development timeline of the Super Hornet which is kind of a similar concept to what KF-X is, developing a pre-existing fighter jet into a more capable one, its gonna take a few years. So if they officially begin with block 3 by, say 2030, it's going to be able to get introduced in the air force by the time those Vipers retire.

KF-X's AESA radar has completed development!

- Agency for Defense Development and Hanwha Systems have finished development of AESA radar for the KF-X Korean Fighter Program.
- First radar will be publicly unveiled on August 12th at an official event.
- This radar has over 1,000 TR modules.
- This radar passed Critical Design Review (CDR) in September 26, 2019 and has been undergoing aerial testing since.
- US Congress refused technology transfer which was among the "4 critical technology" (AESA radar, EO TGP / IRST / RF Jammer) promised by Lockheed Martin with the purchase of F-35A Lightning II.
- South Korea independently developed the radar and Israeli ELTA Systems assisted in aerial testing. The prototype radar was said to be very positively received by Israeli personnel.
- This radar will undergo further testing aboard prototype KF-X aircraft, which will be rolled out next year.
KF-X용 AESA 레이더 개발이 완료되었다는 소식입니다!

http://biz.heraldcorp.com/view.php?ud=20200702000174

BTW, there's another AESA radar which is from LIG nex1, yes, those guys who were in charge of the AESA radar development in the past. After losing to Hanwha in the bid, they went on with their own design and developed a more modern tile-type TR modules with their own funding but less refined as a product. It's called "LASER". LIG's Advanced Scalable E-scan Radar. Defense industry using backronyms might be getting out of hand I guess.... Some could think otherwise tho.

Due to the fact that it has a bit more advanced tile-type TRM design, it has a slightly higher transistor density, thus having 1104 TRM compared to 1088 TRM in Hanwha's radar. It's also about 10 grams lighter than the TRM used in Hanwha. Just like how there were two radars competing for F-16V block70/72 variant, the Raytheon RACR and Northrop Grumman SABR, of which SABR became the official F-16V radar and Raytheon continued the development of RACR without government funding to sell it in international market, the situation is quite similar here. Hanwha's official KF-X radar would therefore be the SABR equivalent and LIG's being the RACR equivalent.

I'm not really sure tho if LIG would be able to sell it anywhere else outside Korea. It might end up just like RACR with no one choosing to buy one. On the other hand, its a scalable radar so they might be able to market it to FA-50 operators in Asia and to the ROKAF if they could fill a cheaper bid than Hanwha.

 

[Indos]

I'm not SgtGungHo but could do the job.

"On 23rd of April participants and authorities of KF-X program gathered to celebrate the beginning of the integration of the front, middle and the rear structure of the fuselage. Thanks to hard work of all parties, the production of the first aircraft is on its final stage. Those who gathered in the celebration were quite impressed of the realization of the aircraft and its sheer size, which they were only able to see as a CATIA model before. The punctuality of the process and KAI's high level of technology has added up to the positive impression. Everyone are motivated and eager to realize the roll out of the prototype by April next year."

Its published in KAI's own magazine so obviously they're praising themselves and are trying to motivate other employees. Though sure, rightly so, that the aircraft production is on track without any delays as of now. It's 4.5 gen for a reason.



Apart from this recent development of the program, on last year's 'Defense Technology Survey' it has been published which technologies are need to develop a 5th gen KF-X blk.3 and VLO surveilance UAV. I'm quite busy so I couldn't post all the details but it seems that quite a lot of those basic technologies needed to develop block 3 is already being researched. Not all the technologies that are mentioned to be applied in block 3 are stated on the paper, although it gives a good insight of a bigger picture.

Block 2 is going to be developed by 2028 and although there is currently no official plan from the ROKAF of developing block 3, I suspect that its not gonna take much time for the development to commence, hence the fact that ROKAF is planning to begin retiring its Viper fleets by late 2030s. Considering the development timeline of the Super Hornet which is kind of a similar concept to what KF-X is, developing a pre-existing fighter jet into a more capable one, its gonna take a few years. So if they officially begin with block 3 by, say 2030, it's going to be able to get introduced in the air force by the time those Vipers retire.



BTW, there's another AESA radar which is from LIG nex1, yes, those guys who were in charge of the AESA radar development in the past. After losing to Hanwha in the bid, they went on with their own design and developed a more modern tile-type TR modules with their own funding but less refined as a product. It's called "LASER". LIG's Advanced Scalable E-scan Radar. Defense industry using backronyms might be getting out of hand I guess.... Some could think otherwise tho.

Due to the fact that it has a bit more advanced tile-type TRM design, it has a slightly higher transistor density, thus having 1104 TRM compared to 1088 TRM in Hanwha's radar. It's also about 10 grams lighter than the TRM used in Hanwha. Just like how there were two radars competing for F-16V block70/72 variant, the Raytheon RACR and Northrop Grumman SABR, of which SABR became the official F-16V radar and Raytheon continued the development of RACR without government funding to sell it in international market, the situation is quite similar here. Hanwha's official KF-X radar would therefore be the SABR equivalent and LIG's being the RACR equivalent.

I'm not really sure tho if LIG would be able to sell it anywhere else outside Korea. It might end up just like RACR with no one choosing to buy one. On the other hand, its a scalable radar so they might be able to market it to FA-50 operators in Asia and to the ROKAF if they could fill a cheaper bid than Hanwha.

Thank you for the translation and explanation, well it is nice to see another Korean here.....

I have sent the picture to one of CNN Indonesia producer, so lets see if they start making any report on it, and hopefully ask something about the project to Minister of Defense to know the renegotiation progress.

 

[Deino]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1280162730155139074