SACHEON, South Gyeongsang Province ― South Korea is set to roll out the first prototype of its indigenously developed next-generation fighter jet, widely known as the Korean Fighter eXperimental (KF-X) aircraft, late next month.

慶尚南道沙川報道——韓國將于下個月晚些時候推出其自主研發(fā)的下一代戰(zhàn)斗機的首架原型機,即眾所周知的韓國戰(zhàn)斗機實驗飛機(KF-X)。

A total of six prototypes are in the final stages of assembly at the Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) headquarters in Sacheon, Gyeongsang Province. Test flights will be carried out next year, following ground testing after the April roll-out.

位于慶尚道的韓國航空航天工業(yè)總部(KAI),總共有6架原型機處于最后的組裝階段。在4月推出后,將進行地面測試,明年進行試飛。

Industry officials expressed expectations that the KF-X would not only help accelerate domestic production of fighter jet parts but also bring about a considerable economic effect, creating jobs for about 110,000 people during the full development period planned through 2028. Since the KAI embarked on the KF-X development project in 2016 after winning the contract from the government the previous year, the project has created jobs for more than 10,000 people as of 2020, according to the company.

業(yè)內(nèi)官員表示,預計KF-X不僅將有助于加快戰(zhàn)斗機零部件的國內(nèi)生產(chǎn),還將帶來可觀的經(jīng)濟效應,在全面開發(fā)期間(計劃持續(xù)到2028年),將為約11萬人創(chuàng)造就業(yè)機會。據(jù)該公司稱,自2016年KAI從政府獲得合同后開始KF-X開發(fā)項目以來,截至2020年,該項目已經(jīng)為超過10000人創(chuàng)造了就業(yè)機會。

Officials also expressed expectations that the KF-X fighter jets will compete in the global market with fifth-generation fighter jets such as the U.S. aerospace giant Lockheed Martin's F-35 and F-22, based on price and technology competitiveness. According to the KAI, the KF-X is designed as a 4.5-generation jet whose basic hardware and platform could be used for further development and conversion into a fifth-generation one with improved "stealth" technologies.

官員們還表示,基于價格和技術競爭力,KF-X戰(zhàn)斗機將與美國航空航天巨頭洛克希德·馬丁公司的F-35和F-22等第五代戰(zhàn)斗機在全球市場上展開競爭。據(jù)KAI介紹,KF-X被設計為4.5代噴氣機,其基本硬件和平臺可用于進一步開發(fā),并轉(zhuǎn)換為具有改進版“隱形”技術的第五代噴氣機。

"As the KF-X has been equipped with hardware to become a stealth fighter, we are currently exploring ways to apply stealth technologies to the jet, although we have yet to specify details for further developments as the military has yet to present the details necessary for further developments after Block I and Block II stages of the KF-X development project," Jung Kwang-sun, director general of the KF-X Program Group under the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), told reporters who were visiting KAI headquarters, Feb. 24.

“由于KF-X已經(jīng)裝備了可以成為隱形戰(zhàn)斗機的硬件,我們目前正在探索將隱形技術應用到這種噴氣式飛機上的方法,但我們還沒有明確進一步開發(fā)的細節(jié),因為軍方還沒有在KF-X開發(fā)項目的第1和第2階段之后提供進一步發(fā)展的必要細節(jié),”2月24日,韓國國防采辦項目管理局下屬的KF-X項目小組主任Jung Kwang-sun對訪問KAI總部的記者說。

The KF-X project is an "evolutionary development" project which is divided into two phases. The first phase, or the Block I stage, is about developing the basic system of the fighter jet from 2016 to 2026. The second phase, or the Block II stage which would be carried out from 2026 to 2028, is about adding more weapon systems.

KF-X項目是一個“進化型開發(fā)”項目,分為兩個階段。第一階段,即Block I階段,是從2016年到2026年開發(fā)戰(zhàn)斗機的基本系統(tǒng)。第二階段,或稱Block II階段,將從2026年到2028年進行,在于增加更多的武器系統(tǒng)。

While the core equipment of the KF-X has been developed with domestic technologies, including active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, infrared search and track (IRST) equipment, electro-optical target tracking (EO TGP) devices and electronic warfare (EW) suite, the target ratio of localization is 65 percent, in terms of the total costs of the parts used for the jet.

雖然KF-X的核心設備是用國內(nèi)技術開發(fā)的,包括有源電子掃描陣列(AESA)雷達,紅外搜索和跟蹤(IRST)設備,光電目標跟蹤(EO TGP)設備和電子戰(zhàn)(EW)套件,但本土化的目標比例為65%,這是根據(jù)用于噴氣機的部件的總成本計算的。

With 10 stations on the jet, about 50 different weapons combinations that weigh up to 7.7 tons can be carried. The total fuel capacity of the jet is 5.3 tons and it has aerial refuelling capability.

這種噴氣機上裝有10個掛點,大約50種不同的武器組合,可攜帶重量高達7.7噸。這種噴氣式飛機的總?cè)剂夏芰κ?.3噸,并且具有空中加油能力。