South Korea Says Indonesia Still In KFX Programme Despite Rafale And F-15EX Procurement

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) insists that Indonesia is still committed to the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-X fighter programme, despite media reports that Jakarta will obtain Dassault Rafales and Boeing F-15EX fighters in the coming years.

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) is bidding to boost defence exports through a new military initiative such as KFX Fighter jet programme with Indonesia.

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) is bidding to boost defence exports through a new military-validation initiative.

DAPA said that under the scheme the Republic of Korea (RoK) Air Force and Indonesian Air Force will receive a number of KFX aircraft once the final full-rate production starts.

South Korea will roll-out its KF-X fighter jet prototype around April 2020, weeks ahead of schedule, Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said in comments quoted in Korean media.

The first prototype is currently in the final stage of assembly. South Korea has been working on the KF-X project since 2015 to develop a fifth generation fighter aircraft to replace the Air Force’s fleet of F-4 and F-5 jets. Indonesia will replace Russian-made Su-25 and Su-30 aircraft in service with the Indonesian Air Force.

The assembly of the first prototype began in September 2020 by Korea Aerospace Industries Co. (KAI) which is the project lead under guidance of the DAPA.

Completion of ground and flight tests is expected around 2026. Forty units are planned to be delivered to the Air Force by 2028 and another 80 units by 2032, the report said.

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