Engineers from Indonesian aerospace company PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) will rejoin the KF-21 Boramae multi-role operations plan of Korea Aerospace Industries Corporation (KAI) this month. Prior to this, Jakarta confirmed the joint development of the Korean National Defense Acquisition Program Administration. The Undertaking (DAPA) was announced on August 11.
DAPA said in a statement that 32 Indonesian engineers are preparing to restart the development of KF-21-formerly known as the Korean Fighter Test/Indonesia Fighter Test (KF-X/IF-X) program-and that this number will Increased to about 100 by the end of 2021.
According to Yonhap News Agency, after investing 227.2 billion ₩227.2 billion in Jakarta, a total of 114 Indonesian engineers working on the KF-21 project at KAI’s Sacheon factory left the country in March.
South Korea and Indonesia agreed to invest 8.8 trillion KRW (US$7.6 billion) in the development of KF-21 in 2015. Jakarta paid 20% of the development cost in exchange for skills and technology transfer, and reportedly needed to pay about 700 billion KRW to fulfill its commitments.
Indonesia stopped payments in March 2020, but it is expected to stop payments before 2028. However, given the economic challenges, Jakarta is believed to be seeking to renegotiate its position.
Although the matter has not yet been resolved, DAPA stated that Jakarta also requires Indonesian engineers to return to South Korea to work on the aircraft “as soon as possible.”
“In response, the South Korean government agreed that the return of Indonesian technicians is necessary to stabilize the joint development plan,” DAPA said.
The agency added that the two countries had earlier tried to negotiate on payment issues but could not hold a meeting due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We will do our best to hold working-level talks as soon as possible and end discussions on payment issues,” KF-21 chief Zheng Guangshun told Yonhap News Agency.
The first KF-21 prototype was unveiled by KAI at a ceremony held on April 9 and was witnessed by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto.
The KF-21 is a “Gen 4.5” aircraft powered by two General Electric (GE) Aviation’s General Electric F414-GE-400K engines. It has an estimated maximum take-off weight of 25,580 kg and a payload capacity of up to 7,700 kg.
The first flight of the first prototype (designated as the 001 aircraft) is scheduled to take place after ground testing in 2022. It is planned to start mass production of 120 aircraft in 2026, of which 40 will be delivered between 2026 and 2028, and another 80 will be delivered by 2032 to replace the aging F-4D/E Phantom II of the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) And F-5E/F Tiger II aircraft.
Xiao Wu
