KF-15 Solgae

KF-15 Solgae
Role	Interceptor fighter-bomber
National origin	Joseon
Manufacturer	Daesung Aerospace,. Inc.
Design group	Daesung Aerospace,. Inc.
First flight	3 November 1968
Introduction	12 August 1971
Retired	7 June 2004
Status	Retired
Primary user	Royal Joseon Air Force Royal Joseon Navy
Produced	1968-1978

The Daesung Aerospace KF-15 Solgae is an Joseon's tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber that was developed by Daesung Aerospace for the Royal Joseon Air Force. It was designed under the influence of Meridon's F4M Spectre and served as the main fighter of the Royal Joseon Air Force until the 1990s. The KF-15 was designed for the Air Force but was later adopted as a carrier-based fighter for the Navy.

The KF-15 is a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2. It can carry more than 18,000 pounds (8,400 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and various bombs.

Development

In the 1960s, the Chak Ho G08 and Beon Gae G08, the main fighter jets of the Joseon Air Force at the time, began to fall behind due to the rapid development of aviation technology. They were unable to deal with the MIR-15, Svetvostok's latest fighter at the time, and were inferior in every way.

The Joseon Air Force demanded the latest fighter jets with air combat capabilities that overwhelm the MIR-15 while also having excellent ground-attack capabilities. In response, the Ministry of Defense selected Daesung Aerospace as its business partner and started developing new fighter jets. At the time, Daesung Aerospace had no experience in manufacturing military supersonic aircraft, so Daesung Aerospace designed the aircraft using Meridon's F4M Spectre in many ways, including the shape of the aircraft.

During the development process, the Royal Joseon Navy abandoned its aircraft carrier-based fighter jet development project and joined the Air Force's project. This took two more years to develop, but Daesung Aerospace was able to complete the prototype aircraft without difficulty.

Design

The KF-15 Solgae is a tandem-seat fighter-bomber designed as a runway-based interceptor to fill the Royal Joseon Navy's fighter-bomber role. Innovations in the KF-15 included an advanced pulse-Doppler radar and extensive use of titanium in its airframe. Despite imposing dimensions and a maximum takeoff weight of over 60,000 lb (27,000 kg), the KF-15 has a top speed Mach 2.23 and an initial climb rate of over 41,000 ft/min (210 m/s). The KF-15's nine external hardpoints have a capability of up to 18,650 pounds (8,480 kg) of weapons, including air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, and unguided, guided, and thermonuclear weapons. The KF-15 is equipped with a 20 mm gun inside the fuselage, with a total of 620 rounds.

Although the KF-15 was subject to irrecoverable spins during aileron rolls, pilots reported the aircraft to be very responsive and easy to fly on the edge of its performance envelope. In 1980, the KF-15U model was upgraded with leading edge slats on the wing, greatly improving high angle of attack maneuverability at the expense of top speed.

Former operators

Joseon:

• Royal Joseon Armed Forces
  • Royal Joseon Air Force
  • Royal Joseon Navy