Chapter 392
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Force Augmentation
Bae Seong-jun was a politician willing to accept a reduction in military strength if necessary, but that didn't mean he ignored strengthening the armed forces.
'The primary indicator of national power is economic strength, but military power is an indispensable metric as well.'
Given that mindset, it was no surprise that Bae Seong-jun took a keen interest in the next-generation aircraft development project.
"This is the technology demonstrator for Boramae, the new fighter jet our military is developing."
Everyone who laid eyes on the sleek, beautifully designed Boramae prototype let out exclamations of admiration.
"So this is a fifth-generation fighter."
To compete with the United States, Korea was pouring significant funds into military spending, and fighter jets were naturally part of that.
After meticulously inspecting the aircraft, Bae Seong-jun turned to the head of the Defense Acquisition Agency.
"It's designed with stealth as the goal, of course?"
In the skies of a new era, stealth wasn't optional—it was essential.
"Of course, Minister."
Like America's latest jets, Boramae was aimed at achieving stealth capabilities.
The main difference with the U.S. was that only one defense contractor was involved in the Boramae project, not several.
"We're not a country with the resources to commission multiple firms for airframe development."
Korea had established a system where the Korea Aerospace Research Institute handled funding and procurement, the Defense Acquisition Agency managed the project, and Daewha Aviation took charge of design and development.
This structure was put in place to prevent the developer from arbitrarily downgrading specs.
Even with this streamlined approach, it had taken over seven full years just to define the concept, complete the design, and acquire the technology demonstrator.
Korea anticipated it would take at least another seven years before the initial production model was ready.
Compared to the required performance specs, the development timeline was long, but it was unavoidable.
As a latecomer with technology lagging behind the U.S., Korea was bound to encounter trial and error.
"The airframe is quite large."
"That's right."
Bae Seong-jun's gaze grew subtle as he watched the twin-engine jet prepare for takeoff.
"Performance aside, the production costs and maintenance expenses can't be exorbitant."
A jet like that would end up being a white elephant.
Chasing ultra-high performance could lead to unaffordable production costs, forcing a reduction in numbers, and eventually turning it into a burdensome hanger queen that no one wanted to fly.
Like the F-22 Raptor from the original timeline.
Bae Seong-jun had no desire for a white elephant like the F-22.
He wanted aircraft that could be launched immediately when needed.
"We always keep that in mind."
To address this, the Korean military maximized the use of parts from existing aircraft.
"We mandated the use of compatible parts from legacy jets wherever possible during development."
"That's a solid approach."
Additionally, the YKF-21 didn't aim to be a do-it-all aircraft.
It was designed purely as an air superiority fighter.
The reason was straightforward.
"Our adversary, America, won't give us the luxury of bombing runs. Securing a fighter optimized for air dominance comes first."
Following guidelines from the Defense Acquisition Agency, the Air Force had designed the YKF-21 as a fighter specialized for air-to-air combat.
Bae Seong-jun knew the era of multirole fighters—essentially fighter-bombers—would eventually arrive, but he wasn't worried about it.
'We can replace those with drones.'
Mass-producing cheap drones would cover the demand for strike missions.
In the original timeline, close air support roles had largely shifted to inexpensive unmanned aircraft.
High-performance manned jets were more than sufficient for air superiority.
As he listened to the briefing on the new YKF-21, Bae Seong-jun understood that the Air Force had prepared it quite solidly.
Boramae was developed with close-quarters combat concepts entirely excluded.
'Dogfighting doesn't even make sense in the 21st century.'
That's why Boramae abandoned factors like airframe agility from the outset.
High speed, reduced radar cross-section, and long detection range.
Those were the three things the Korean Air Force wanted.
Sneak in undetected, fire missiles, and egress.
That was the core performance demanded of next-generation air superiority fighters.
After demonstrating supersonic cruise capability, the technology demonstrator touched down.
This flight was a show of strength aimed at the United States.
'Even if its performance lags behind America's, having stealth jets of our own means they can't act recklessly.'
Once Boramae entered mass production, Bae Seong-jun planned to churn them out in large numbers.
He even intended to export them to allies.
"You're going to export Boramae, your nation's ultimate weapon?"
Korea had good reason to do so.
Was the America of the original timeline stupid enough to mass-export its core mainstay, the F-35, to allies?
Of course not—it was a means to pressure Russia and China.
Unlike America, Korea wasn't the overwhelming top dog, so there was no need to hoard something equivalent to the F-22.
'By handing out the latest models to allies, we amplify the pressure America feels.'
It also allowed Korea to tighten its grip on allies dependent on Korean aircraft for security.
At the same time, mass-producing cutting-edge jets like Boramae would leverage economies of scale to drive down unit costs.
That was the position Korea was aiming for with models like America's F-16 and F-35.
To achieve these advantages, exporting Boramae was essential.
"What about technology leaks?"
Even accounting for leak risks, the benefits of lower maintenance and production costs far outweighed them.
"Then you'll downgrade the export versions?"
He had no such plans.
"Downgrading costs money too, and if they underperform in combat, it only damages the aircraft's reputation."
Bae Seong-jun watched the YKF-21 flight with satisfaction.
Pyongyang didn't classify Boramae's maiden flight.
"They see even this as propaganda material."
Displaying weapon systems like this was all part of showcasing national strength.
Korea's new weapon developments didn't stop at the next-generation fighter.
Plans for new self-propelled guns, tanks, armored vehicles, destroyers, and more kept pouring out.
"Has something revolutionary happened in Korea?"
Of course it had.
The driving force behind the changes was the Soviet Union.
"If the price is right, we'll provide as much technology as you want."
The Soviet Union, already hitting its limits, was dumping its tech at bargain prices in bulk.
Korea used these acquisitions to upgrade existing weapons or design new ones.
Of course, Bae Seong-jun wasn't the type to focus solely on visible hardware quantities.
He paid close attention to training as well.
"No matter how good the equipment, it's humans who wield it. Without sufficient training, you can't even tap half its potential."
Under this philosophy, Bae Seong-jun invested heavily in military training.
"Live-fire training should exceed 800 rounds per year."
This mirrored U.S. military practices from the original timeline.
The long-term goal for the Korean military was an annual average of 1,200 rounds per soldier.
They believed that only with this volume could they perform adequately in combat.
Daily training averaged over seven hours.
With such intense training, the promotion system was tightened up.
Soldier promotions were no longer handed out leniently.
Only those who proved their skills through exams could advance in rank.
"What's this shooting score? Fail!"
Service terms were handled the same way.
Officers and NCOs had to verify their fitness and skills at regular intervals.
"How can an officer set an example if they can't even manage their fitness? Get back in shape and try again."
Fail three times, and you packed your bags and left the military.
It was an organization where you couldn't survive without endless self-improvement, management, and training.
Bae Seong-jun wanted the Korean military to be a combat-ready force, not an administrative one.
To that end, he completely separated troops from administrative duties.
"Civilian defense workers handle admin; soldiers focus solely on training."
In return for this rigorous training and validation, the Korean military received high pay.
The average annual salary was around 60,000 won.
For a nation maintaining a large standing army, this was exceptionally generous.
Even rival America didn't pay at this level.
But Bae Seong-jun saw it as a worthwhile expense.
"How do you expect to retain a top-tier military while skimping on soldier welfare?"
Beyond this, Bae Seong-jun introduced various measures to sustain military strength.
"Those who serve as Korean soldiers will have their college tuition covered by the state. During service, housing is provided by the nation."
"Additional points for public corporation and civil service hiring. Job placement assistance if requested."
"Rehabilitation training for veterans suffering from war-related PTSD."
This was the support for enlisted soldiers; combat support roles had separate benefits.
Pyongyang even ordered the construction of large hospital ships for Korean troops stationed along the Indian Ocean coast.
"Two more 1,000-bed hospital ships? We already have two."
"Don't we need that capacity to treat our soldiers in a timely manner?"
Korea operated four hospital ships in total, including two 50,000-ton vessels converted from tankers.
Bae Seong-jun strengthened the military medical system in other ways too, such as deploying medical helicopters.
Thus, the dictator poured significant effort into bolstering the Korean military.
Public opinion on these efforts wasn't favorable.
"He's blowing through money like a spoiled rich kid. Who squanders taxpayer cash like that?"
Bae Seong-jun ignored the criticism.
Just as when he purged the naval air force, he bulldozed ahead with his vision.
For a dictator, conviction from within mattered more than outside voices.