Indonesia Reaffirms Commitment to KF-21 Fighter Jet Project

08 Februari 2024

Assembling of KF-21 fighter (photo: Sheldon's Military)

SEOUL (Yonhap) -- Indonesia remains committed to its joint fighter jet development project with South Korea, a news report has said, amid a probe into an Indonesian engineer's alleged theft attempt of the jet's technologies.

On Friday, Seoul's defense officials disclosed the ongoing probe by intelligence and defense authorities into the allegation discovered last month at Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the aircraft's manufacturer.

Dedy Laksmono, director of technology and defense at Indonesia's defense ministry, reaffirmed the commitment to continuing cooperation with South Korea on the project the next day, according to Kompas, an Indonesian daily.

The official also said Indonesia has prepared 1.25 trillion rupiah (US$79.6 million) this year to cover its unpaid share of costs in the joint project launched in 2015 and worth over 8 trillion won (US$6 billion).

Seoul has agreed to pay about 60 percent of the project's cost, with Jakarta and KAI covering around 20 percent each.

But Indonesia's commitment to the project has faced questions as it has failed to make timely payments, with overdue payments estimated at nearly 1 trillion won as of last October.

On Monday, Choi Kyung-ho, spokesperson for South Korea's arms procurement agency, said talks are currently under way with Indonesia over the project's cost-sharing in a regular briefing.

The KF-21 project is aimed at developing a supersonic fighter to replace South Korea's aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 jets, with plans to deploy the first model in the country's Air Force in 2026.

(Yonhap)