Nothing dominates the skies like a METEOR beyond visual range air-to-air missile. Recognising this, the Republic of Korea has co-operated with MBDA to integrate METEOR onto its next generation fighter, the KF-21 Boromae. This around the world partnership has demonstrated how MBDA’s spirit of international co-operation can deliver complex aircraft integrations in record time.
METEOR is the most advanced beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) in-service, with its unique ramjet engine giving it greater range and kinematic performance than any other comparable missile.
While other missiles glide unpowered for the majority of their flight, slowing and losing manoeuvrability as they go, METEOR’s ramjet powers the missile right to the target. This means there is simply no escape for a fighter from an incoming Meteor.
Integrating METEOR onto a new platform is a complex challenge, requiring a mastery of many engineering skills including aerodynamics, mechanical engineering, radar, datalinking, and software engineering, and requiring close partnership between the missile and aircraft manufacturers MBDA and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), and Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).All added to by the more human challenges of working across languages, cultures and time zones – and under considerable time pressure. Thanks to MBDA’s unique multi-national model and extensive experience of working across borders, and KAI’s excellent engineering and schedule management a highly successful partnership was formed to deliver this strategic project supporting national security and joint prosperity.
Joint work had reached such a level of closeness that when the KF-21 made its first flight in July 2022 it did so equipped with four METEOR missiles – an unheard of achievement. The partnership continued to progress rapidly, moving on to ejection tests in 2023 and then culminating in a series of successful firing trials in early 2024 that confirmed the superb performance of METEOR on KF-21.
Now the project has entered its next stage with the main manufacturing phase now contracted to ensure the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) receives its first operational METEOR missiles in time for the initial in-service date of the KF-21. The ROKAF will also have the potential to benefit from a common METEOR missile stockpile across KF-21 and F-35 as both will use METEOR developed for internal carriage.
The partnership between MBDA, DAPA, ROKAF and KAI has exemplified the MBDA spirit – delivering world-leading capabilities through international co-operation – and exceptional joint engineering work to deliver a complex weapon integration onto an advanced new platform in record time.