Seoul: South Korea has successfully completed all planned flight tests for the KF-21 fighter jet under development, the state arms procurement agency said Tuesday. The country's first homegrown aircraft is expected to significantly enhance the military's air defense capabilities upon deployment.

According to Yonhap News Agency, following the rollout of the first KF-21 prototype in April 2021, officials have conducted approximately 1,600 flight tests without any accidents. The final flight test took place on Monday, as reported by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).

DAPA officials noted that they managed to accelerate the flight test phase by about two months by expanding venues for the flight test and incorporating an air-to-air refueling process during the testing phase. Officials are planning to complete the development of the fighter jet by the first half of this year and deliver the first batch of the advanced fighter jet to the Air Force in the second half.

South Korea initiated the KF-21 development program in 2015 with the goal of acquiring a homegrown supersonic fighter to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of U.S.-made F-4 and F-5 jets. The first production model of the homegrown fighter jet entered final assembly in May last year.