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ROK, Indonesia on the verge of testing new fighter

Felix Kim

A multirole “semi-stealth” fighter jointly developed by the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Indonesia will be ready for testing in 2021, the ROK Ministry of National Defense announced in March 2019.

The KF-X fighter, known in Indonesia as IF-X, was designed to replace existing fighter jets employed by the armed forces of the ROK and Indonesia.

The KF-X/IF-X fighter, pictured, is characterized as a “generation 4.5” or semi-stealth multirole aircraft, according to Indonesia’s Antara news agency. In addition to its stealth characteristics, the two-engine fighter will feature advanced avionics and air refueling.

“The success of the KF-X/IF-X project is very important in Indonesia’s security and economy,” Wiranto, who goes by a single name and is Indonesia’s coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, said in a news release.

“South Korea is confident that it can develop competitive 4.5-generation fighters with highly advanced radar technologies,” Choi Myoung-jin, professor of defense science and technology at South Korea’s Howon University told FORUM. “Indonesia is also eager to acquire its own fighters under the project with South Korea. It is supposed to get some 50 fighters as well as insight into key technologies under the agreement.”

Indonesia has agreed to cover 20 percent of the development cost of the fighter, Choi explained. The project got a boost when Jakarta paid a portion of its pledged investment following the summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Indonesian President Joko Widodo in September 2018.

“The recent move is a good sign for South Korea, which initially had trouble finding export markets for its indigenous T-50 trainer,” he said. “Investment is key for technological advancement and there are a lot of new technologies South Korea would develop and make its own. Indonesia had plans to import advanced trainers and it also saw a need to invest in developing its own fighters in South Korea.”

The T-50 is an advanced supersonic trainer and light combat aircraft developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) with Lockheed Martin, according to the Defense Ministry.

Mass production of the KF-X/IF-X aircraft is expected by 2026, Antara reported, with a production run of 168 units: 120 for the ROK and 48 for Indonesia. KAI and Indonesian aviation firm PT Dirgantara are the main contractors for the project.

The biggest challenge identified by Choi — in addition to funding — has been ownership and transfer of technology.

“Right now, I think technologies jointly developed by the two countries would be shared, but South Korea will keep its own technologies,” Choi said. “South Korea has seen significant progress in its ability to design and build advanced radars that can be used on 4.5-generation fighters, giving them advantages in outstanding observation and detection capabilities.”

The term semi-stealth, according to published reports, means the fighter will have stealth capabilities greater than Dassault’s Rafale or the Eurofighter Typhoon but not levels achieved on the U.S.-made, fifth-generation F-35 aircraft.

KF-X/IF-X is important to South Korea in terms of local innovation and domestic supply of its own defense needs, he emphasized, sweetened by collaboration with a regional partner and inroads to other markets.

“If this project succeeds, other countries will show interest in the fighter jets, leading to exports,” he said. “South Korea started making weapons by imitating the products of advanced countries before developing its own weapons. Now South Korea is finding export markets.”

Felix Kim is a FORUMcontributor reporting from Seoul, South Korea

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