Defense Acquisition Program Administration Chief on KF-X Joint Development with Indonesia: "Negotiations Ongoing"

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter]Kang Eun-ho, Administrator of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), stated on the 9th that negotiations are ongoing with the Indonesian side participating in the development project of the Korean Fighter eXperimental (KF-X).

At his first press briefing since taking office, Kang responded to a question about the status of renegotiations on the KF-X joint development terms with Indonesia by saying, "We are exchanging positions with each other. When the time comes, we will inform the public accurately."

The KF-X project is a joint effort between South Korea and Indonesia, initiated in 2015, with a total budget of 8.7 trillion won to develop a next-generation fighter jet by 2026. Indonesia agreed to invest 1.7 trillion won, which is 20% of the total project cost, but delayed payments starting from the second half of 2017 due to economic circumstances. The outstanding payments are currently estimated to be around 600 billion won.

Government officials and representatives from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the KF-X system developer, assert that Indonesia will continue to pay the remaining contributions.

However, there have been reports from foreign media suggesting that Indonesia might purchase Dassault Rafale fighters from France, raising the possibility that Indonesia could withdraw from the KF-X joint development. At the end of last year, a French broadcaster reported that Indonesia hoped to sign a contract to purchase 36 Dassault fighters. Some French media outlets even reported plans to purchase 48 Rafale fighters.

In response to these reports, government officials have expressed that since Indonesia has already invested 227.2 billion won in the KF-X project, it would be difficult to reverse the joint development plan at this stage.

Indonesia plans to produce 48 units locally after fully paying the project costs, receiving one KF-X prototype and the technical data. The first prototype, currently in the final assembly stage, is scheduled to be delivered in April. Flight testing will begin in the first half of 2022, with development completed by 2026. The aircraft will be equipped with an AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar. If the project proceeds smoothly as planned, the Air Force will have 120 KF-X fighters: 40 units from the first production batch between 2026 and 2028, and 80 units from the second batch by 2032.

Meanwhile, Kang reaffirmed his commitment to smoothly advancing the light aircraft carrier project, which continues to face public debate over its construction. The Navy’s light aircraft carrier (Multipurpose Large Transport Ship-II), expected to carry the F-35B vertical takeoff and landing fighter, has only 100 million won allocated under "research service fees" in this year’s defense budget of 52.8401 trillion won, raising concerns that the project may not proceed as planned.

Regarding this, Kang said, "Research on 11 related (preliminary) technologies for the light aircraft carrier has already been underway as a core technology project since 2019," adding, "If the National Assembly ensures the budget is secured in the future, we will thoroughly prepare in advance so that there will be no disruption in the project’s progress."

The light aircraft carrier project was officially formalized when the Ministry of National Defense included the concept design plan for the "Multipurpose Large Transport Ship-II" in the '2020?2024 Defense Mid-term Plan' announced last August. Subsequently, the '2021?2025 Defense Mid-term Plan' incorporated both concept and basic design plans last August.

At that time, the Ministry of National Defense explained plans to complete the concept design for the 30,000-ton light aircraft carrier by the end of this year, start the basic design next year, and commission the ship by early 2030. However, there is ongoing debate as opinions differ: some argue that construction is necessary due to anticipated maritime security threats from neighboring countries, while others warn that without sufficient destroyers and reconnaissance assets to protect the carrier, it could be vulnerable to enemy attacks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.