KAI KF-21 Boramae to Be Exported to Indonesia: 16 Jets Planned, Can the K-Defense Industry Maintain Its Credibility?

The Korean fighter jet KAI KF-21 Boramae, which is scheduled to enter mass production within the year, is expected to be exported to Indonesia, the joint development partner, for the first time. The final contract amount will be determined through further negotiations, and a separate contract is expected to be signed within the first half of this year.
A government official said on the 19th that during Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s state visit to Korea later this month, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is expected to sign an export agreement for the introduction of 16 KAI KF-21 Boramae fighters.
If this export goes through, it will mark the first overseas sale of a fighter jet developed with domestic technology.
The KF-21 system development program is a core national defense project aimed at replacing the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF)’s aging McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and Northrop F-5 fighters, and independently developing a 4.5-generation fighter that meets future battlefield requirements using Korean technology. The project began after President Kim Dae-jung announced its launch in November 2000.
The KAI KF-21 Boramae successfully completed its test flights in January. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) plans to finalize the system development within the first half of this year and deliver the first mass-produced aircraft to the ROKAF in the second half.
Progress on the KF-21 development had been slow due to questions over project feasibility and securing advanced technologies. Development gained momentum after the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) signed the main system development contract with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in December 2015 and formally launched the system development phase.
The joint system development with Indonesia is scheduled to receive 8.1 trillion won in funding from 2015 to 2026, with an additional 8.4 trillion won allocated for mass production from 2026 to 2028. The total project cost of 16.5 trillion won has led it to be described as "the largest defense capability enhancement project in Korean history."
wangjylee@fnnews.com Lee Jong-yoon Reporter