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 1965
Introduction	12 August 1968
Retired	7 June 1993
Status	Retired
Primary user	Royal Joseon Air Force Royal Joseon Navy
Produced	1965-1974

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 1950s, 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.