With the first mass-production unit set to roll out at the end of this month, the first export of the Korean fighter KF-21 has become more likely. The prospect strengthened as Indonesia, which co-developed the KF-21, is poised to acquire it.
According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and others on the 19th, the government is pushing to sign an export agreement for the KF-21 during Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's state visit to Korea at the end of this month. The expected quantity is 16 units, but the exact timing of the contract, volume, and price have not yet been finalized.
If the deal with Indonesia is signed, it would mark the first export of a domestically developed fighter. The KF-21 system development project took off after former President Kim Dae-jung declared in November 2000 that Korea would "emerge as an advanced aviation nation by developing an advanced fighter domestically by no later than 2015." The core aim was to replace the aging F-4s and F-5s and independently develop a 4.5-generation fighter suited to future battlefields.
However, in the early stages, the project made little headway due to issues such as business feasibility and securing advanced technologies, until it gathered pace when the Defense Acquisition Program Administration signed a system development contract with KAI in Dec. 2015 and began development. From 2015 to 2026, 810 billion won was invested in the joint development with Indonesia. For mass production, 840 billion won was allocated. It was the largest force enhancement project ever, totaling 1.65 trillion won.
There were setbacks as development proceeded. In Jan. 2024, Indonesian technicians seconded to KAI were caught attempting to leak internal materials. But the mood shifted after the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and Indonesia's senior leadership began signing an amendment to the basic agreement on KF-21 joint development at Indonesia's defense exhibition in June last year, followed by Ministry of National Defense officials visiting Korea in July that year for a program management meeting. At that meeting, implementation plans and the payment schedule for cost sharing were discussed.
Meanwhile, the KF-21 successfully completed a test flight in January, and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration plans to finalize system development in the first half of this year and deliver the first mass-production unit to the Air Force in the second half.