Korean Government to Transfer One of Six KF-21 Fighter Jet Prototype to Indonesia

The Korean government has agreed to transfer one of the six prototypes of the KF-21 Boramae fighter jet to Indonesia, its partner in the joint development program.

The transfer will happen after Jakarta makes full payment by June this year. Indonesia has so far paid 536 billion won out of the total 600 billion won ($398 million) and plans to pay the remaining 64 billion won by June.

The package includes the transfer of the fifth KF-21 prototype, a single-seat model valued at approximately 350 billion won; 174.2 billion won for the technology transfer and local research personnel costs; and 75.8 billion won for the provision of development data.

The information came to light following data submitted by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) on Tuesday to the office of conservative People Power Party Rep. Kang Dae-sik of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee.

The total scale of the value transfer under the agreement is set at 600 billion won ($398 million), matching the final contribution Indonesia agreed to bear, KoreaJoongangdaily reported.

The fifth prototype has been used to verify key avionics performance, including an active electronically scanned array radar, and to conduct aerial refueling tests.

Indonesia initially joined the program on the condition that it would cover about 20 percent of the total development cost, or roughly 1.6 trillion won. However, it has delayed payments, citing domestic economic conditions. The Korean government subsequently lowered Indonesia’s contribution to 600 billion won, and following the reduction, it reviewed whether to transfer a prototype from scratch.