Indonesia drops KF-21 co-production plans, eying stock warplanes instead

JAKARTA — Seoul and Jakarta are ironing out the transfer of a singular KF-21 fighter jet prototype, capping a decade-long back and forth over deal to manufacture the South Korean jets in Indonesia that once envisioned the handover as one of many.

Defense Logistics Agency head Yusuf Jauhan told reporters in late June that plans to domestically produce the jets will not materialize, confirming speculations that Jakarta had cancelled agreements to domestically manufacture the Korean jets under a 2015 co-production agreement.

The KF-21 Boramae, developed by Korea Aerospace Industries, is a twin-engine fighter designed to succeed South Korea’s aging F-4 and F-5 fleets. Indonesia intended to use these jets to replace older warplanes.

Jakarta had initially agreed to cover 20% of the development cost, then priced at 1.6 trillion won ($1.3 billion), to be paid until 2026. The deal includes the transfer of one prototype and technology that would allow state-owned PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) to produce 48 units of KF-21 Block-I fighter jets in Bandung.

But the agreement had been bogged down by delayed payments and allegations of sensitive data theft, which were carried into numerous renegotiations on cost-sharing arrangements.

In 2024, Jakarta requested to extend the payment timeline until 2034, but Seoul declined because it would derail deployment plans. The countries eventually agreed to reduce Indonesia’s contribution to 600 million won, but the deal will significantly lessen tech transfer coverage.

There had been confusion on the status of the KF-21 co-production deal, which had been kept tightly under wraps.

Earlier in April, Indonesian authorities revealed that the KF-21’s domestic production would no longer push through and confirmed in June that the government had scrapped the program.

This comes after Jakarta finished settling the 600 million won commitment under the reduced agreement in exchange for a single-seat KF-21 prototype. Officials also said they are more interested in buying ready-made jets.

Jakarta’s decision “appears to be largely practical and financial,” Ju Hyung Kim, president of the Security Management Institute think tank, told Defense News.

“Indonesia may still want the aircraft, but not necessarily the burdens of local co-production. From Seoul’s perspective, this is probably easier to manage and potentially more attractive for the KF-21’s broader export campaign,” Kim said.

If Jakarta’s plans push through, Indonesia would also become a good first reference case for the KF-21 jets and will boost its market potential, Kim said.

Local officials said that procurement plans are still being explored. PTDI told Defense News that internal discussions are ongoing and no definitive plan has been established.

While purchasing the KF-21 remains on the table for Jakarta, official sources told Defense News the odds are in favor of existing contractors with more attractive tech transfer arrangements.

Officials are reportedly weighing the purchase of 24 additional French Dassault Rafale jets to supplement the 42 jets the government ordered under a contract signed in 2022.

Jakarta also signed in April an overseas loan scheme to buy 48 KAAN stealth jets from Turkish Aerospace Industries worth $10 billion, which will be delivered beginning in 2032.

Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct the name of the president of the Security Management Institute think tank.

Leilani Chavez is an Asia correspondent for Defense News. Her reporting expertise is in East Asian politics, development projects, environmental issues and security.

雅加达——首尔和雅加达正在敲定一架KF-21战斗机原型机的移交事宜，这标志着长达十年的关于在印尼生产韩国战斗机的谈判终于达成。此前，双方曾设想此次移交只是众多移交中的一架。

国防后勤局局长优素福·贾汉在 6 月下旬告诉记者，在国内生产这些战机的计划不会实现，这证实了此前的猜测，即雅加达已经取消了根据 2015 年的合作生产协议在国内生产韩国战机的协议。

KF-21“波拉梅”战斗机由韩国航空航天工业公司研制，是一款双引擎战斗机，旨在取代韩国老旧的F-4和F-5战斗机。印尼曾计划用这款战机替换其老旧的战机。

雅加达最初同意承担 20% 的研发成本，当时定价为 1.6 万亿韩元（13 亿美元），付款期限至 2026 年。该协议包括转让一架原型机和技术，这将使国有企业印尼航空航天公司 (PTDI) 能够在万隆生产 48 架 KF-21 Block-I 战斗机。

但由于付款延迟和敏感数据被盗的指控，该协议陷入僵局，这些问题导致双方就成本分摊安排进行了多次重新谈判。

2024年，雅加达请求将付款期限延长至2034年，但首尔拒绝了，因为这将扰乱部署计划。两国最终同意将印尼的出资额减少至6亿韩元，但该协议将大幅降低技术转让的覆盖范围。

KF-21联合生产协议的状态一直很混乱，该协议一直被严格保密。

今年 4 月初，印尼当局透露 KF-21 的国内生产将不再推进，并在 6 月份确认政府已取消该计划。

此前，雅加达已支付了根据缩减后的协议支付的6亿韩元款项，以换取一架单座KF-21原型机。官员们还表示，他们更倾向于购买现成的战机。

安全管理研究所智库所长金柱亨告诉《防务新闻》，雅加达的决定“似乎主要是出于实际和经济方面的考虑”。

金表示：“印尼可能仍然想要这款战机，但未必愿意承担本地联合生产的负担。从首尔的角度来看，这可能更容易管理，也可能更有利于KF-21更广泛的出口推广。”

金表示，如果雅加达的计划得以实施，印尼也将成为KF-21战机的良好先例，并将提升其市场潜力。

当地官员表示，采购计划仍在探讨中。PTDI公司告诉《防务新闻》，内部讨论仍在进行中，尚未制定最终计划。

虽然雅加达仍在考虑购买 KF-21，但官方消息人士告诉《防务新闻》，现有承包商更有可能获得更有吸引力的技术转让安排。

据报道，官员们正在考虑再购买 24 架法国达索阵风战斗机，以补充政府根据 2022 年签署的合同订购的 42 架战斗机。

今年 4 月，雅加达还签署了一项海外贷款计划，从土耳其航空航天工业公司购买 48 架 KAAN 隐形战机，价值 100 亿美元，将于 2032 年开始交付。

编者按：本文已更新，更正了安全管理研究所智库主席的姓名。

莱拉尼·查韦斯是《防务新闻》的亚洲记者。她的报道专长是东亚政治、发展项目、环境问题和安全。