Seoul ADEX 2025 airshow
- Robin Polderman
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Report and photos by Robin Polderman
In mid-October the author, assisted by Arno Kok, travelled to Korea to attend the bi-annual ADEX (Aerospace & Defense Exhibition). The airshow part took place at Seongnam airbase between 17 and 19 October, while the ADEX trade exhibition, at the KINTEX – Korean International Exhibition Center in North-East Seoul, was staged between 20 and 24 October.
Having two separate events is a notable deviation from the usual format of having an airshow and trade exhibition at the same location.
Initially, the airshow was scheduled to take place in the first weekend of November, but the plans of the Korean government threw a spanner in the works. The APEC summit, which would be attended by a large number of Head-of-States, was put on the calendar for 1 November, well after ADEX had decided on the date of their exhibition. The Republic of Korea Air Force’s (ROKAF) efforts in securing the summit left no room for another big event in the same timeframe, hence the date of the exhibition was brought forward by two weeks.
The airshow provided a good opportunity to inspect the KAI KF-21 up close, as two prototypes attended. One was intended for the static show with the other example taking part in the flying display.
Shortly after the airshow, Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced the completion of KF-21’s flight test program, after 1600 flights in a 42-month period. Currently seven production KF-21s are in an advanced stage of completion with deliveries to the ROKAF foreseen for the second half of this year.
On show at ADEX were the fourth and fifth prototypes, with the latter originally scheduled to be delivered to the Indonesian Air Force for local testing. A renegotiated contract however, put paid to those plans and the number 5 will stay in Korea for the time being.
Korea’s aviation industry, which has gone from merely assembling aircraft kits to developing 4.5 generation fighters in a time span of 30 years, showcased many indigenously designed and produced aircraft during ADEX including the KT-1 and KT-100 trainers, T/TA/FA-50 family of trainer/light fighter aircraft as well as the LAH-1 and KUH-1 helicopters.
Despite the US Government shutdown still running at the time of the airshow, a PACAF F-16C from nearby Osan AB and a US Navy EA-18G Growler (deployed to Osan) showed up.
A noteworthy participant in the static display was one of sixteen KF-16 aircraft converted to RF-16 ‘Saemae’ and carrying an Elbit Systems Condor 2 EO/ELINT pod on the centerline station.
Attendance was massive; a total of 152.257 people visited the three day airshow, while the trade event at the KINTEX exhibition center saw 111.026 people pass through its doors. A total of 600 exhibitors from 35 countries participated in the event.
Tips for travelers:
-The flypast performed on the opening day of the show will be rehearsed at least twice, usually in the days leading up to the airshow.
-Parking spots around Seongnam AB are rather scarce, so either be very early to be able to park on Dunchon-daero road close to the airshow entrance, or go straight to the huge parking lot of the Moran Traditional market, a ten minute walk from the gates. The event gets really crowded during the weekend.
-The airshow caters for hungry visitors, with plenty of food trucks, a tent-based restaurant and a pop-up GS25 convenience store in place. No need to bring your own food or drink.
-After lunch, the sun will be slowly turning unfavorable for photography, necessitating the need to relocate to a spot outside the airbase.
As usual, the ADEX airshow provided visitors not only with a glimpse of the ROK military and its high operational tempo, but also showcases the evolution of Korea’s indigenous aviation industry. The next edition of ADEX is scheduled for October 2027.
