KAI and Hyundai Rotem to jointly develop air-to-air missile for KF-21

Korea Aerospace Industries and Hyundai Rotem signed a memorandum of understanding on August 12, 2026, at KAI's headquarters in Sacheon, South Korea, to jointly develop and integrate airborne weapons for the KF-21 Boramae fighter, including long-range air-to-air missiles. The agreement also covers broader cooperation on aircraft platforms and exploration of export packages that would bundle aircraft with onboard weapons systems, alongside joint marketing and business development efforts both domestically and internationally.

According to the companies, this is the third such partnership KAI has formed in 2026, following memoranda signed with Hanwha Aerospace and LIG Nex1 in February 2026 at the World Defense Show in Riyadh, which similarly addressed domestically produced airborne weapons and export marketing for the KF-21 and FA-50 aircraft.

The long-range air-to-air missile program itself is being led by South Korea's Agency for Defense Development, with a development timeline running from 2026 to 2033 following approval from the Defense Project Promotion Committee in late 2025. The effort is aimed at reducing the Republic of Korea Air Force's reliance on imported beyond-visual-range missiles, such as the MBDA Meteor.

Hyundai Rotem, traditionally known for manufacturing armored vehicles including the K2 tank and rail equipment, has said the partnership is part of a wider diversification into aerospace, encompassing propulsion systems and hypersonic flight vehicle development.

Separately, South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration announced completion of the KF-21 development program on July 29, 2026, at a ceremony held at KAI's Sacheon facility, marking the close of an 8.8 trillion won development effort as the program moves toward deliveries.