Facts About the Indonesia-South Korea KF-21 Fighter Jet Project

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said Indonesia and South Korea will continue the development project of the fourth-generation fighter jet KF-21 Boramae during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the APEC Summit 2025 in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Saturday, November 1, 2025.

"We have continued this cooperation, and I think we will continue to discuss the follow-up of the KF-21 project. So, I believe the negotiators are still working, and of course, negotiations always depend on economic aspects, prices, and financing schemes," said Prabowo as quoted from a video of the meeting sent by Prabowo's media team.

Prabowo said Indonesian ministers will discuss with South Korean ministers for this project. Indonesian technicians will also continue this project along with South Korean technicians. "Because the nature of this defense collaboration is sensitive, I think we need to discuss it in more detail, perhaps not in front of the media," he said.

Since its launch ten years ago, the project has been hampered by various problems. Here are the facts:

- Launched in 2015

The KF-21 Boramae fighter jet project was launched in 2015. The total investment in this project reached 8.1 trillion Won (equivalent to IDR 95.32 trillion). From that amount, Indonesia initially bore 20 percent or the equivalent of 1.6 trillion Won. However, it was later reduced to only 600 billion Won.

The rest was covered by the South Korean government (60 percent) and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) (20 percent). According to the plan, the South Korean government would buy 128 units of KF-21 Boramae, while Indonesia would buy 48 units.

- Delayed Due to Payment Delays from Indonesia

The KF-21 project was delayed due to payment delays from Indonesia. In June 2023, Indonesia only settled 17 percent of the supposed 1.62 trillion Won debt. The payment had been stagnant since 2019.

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto at that time affirmed that he would soon resolve Indonesia's arrears in the KFX/IFX KF-21 Boramae fighter jet joint production project. "I think this will be resolved soon because this is a decision by the President," said Prabowo during a press conference at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base, Jakarta, on Thursday, July 6, 2023.

- Indonesia Proposes Payment Reduction

In 2024, Indonesia proposed a reduction in payment for the KF-21 fighter jet development project in collaboration with South Korea. The reduction amounted to about one-third of the original sum amid concerns about payment delays.

The statement was made by an unnamed source as reported by Yonhap News Agency on Monday, May 6, 2024. Indonesia suggested paying a total of 600 billion Won or about IDR 7 trillion for the KF-21 jet project. Initially, Indonesia agreed to pay about 20 percent of the program worth 8.1 trillion Won or about IDR 95.8 trillion.

In addition, Indonesia also requested South Korea to postpone the project's payment until 2034. However, Seoul insisted that the payment must be made before the construction deadline in 2026.

- Data Theft Case by Indonesian Engineers

In addition to the debt issue, the KF-21 project was tainted by allegations of attempted technology theft by an Indonesian engineer involved in the project. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) of South Korea requested the police to conduct an initial investigation into the allegations.

The Indonesian engineer was caught around January 2024 while attempting to take a USB storage device containing KF-21 fighter jet data. At the request of DAPA on Thursday, February 22, 2024, the police began investigating whether the data included military secrets or other technologies that violated the Defense Technology Security Act.

- Official Cooperation Resumed in March 2025

Following a high-level meeting between defense officials of both countries in Jakarta in March 2025, Indonesia and South Korea have agreed to resume cooperation in the advanced KF-21 fighter jet development.

South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) Minister Seok Jong-gun said the meeting was an important moment to normalize bilateral defense relations. "When the first high-level meeting took place after the investigation of the Indonesian engineers, the discussion served as an opportunity to normalize slightly tense bilateral weapon cooperation," said Seok.

The KF-21 project is expected to produce advanced supersonic fighter aircraft in 2026, with Indonesia receiving technology transfers and prototype models as part of the agreement.

Eka Yudha and Olivia Subandi contributed to the writing of this article.

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