South Korea joins supersonic fighter club as KF-21 jet takes to skies

South Korea's homegrown KF-21 Boramae fighter jet flew for the first time on Tuesday, putting the country among the few nations to have developed and flown an advanced supersonic fighter.

The prototype jet took a 33-minute roundtrip flight from an air force base in the southern city of Sacheon, said South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).

The pilot, Maj. Ahn Jun-hyun, admitted to being nervous beforehand, but said that after take off "everything went smoothly so I flew the whole flight route as planned."