Indonesia Considers Buying 'Chinese Fighter Jet' After Release of Leak Suspects in Korea... Is Joint KF-21 Development Abandoned? [Yang Nakgyu's Defence Club]

After Indonesian Technical Staff Cleared of Charges, Indonesia Considers Chinese Fighter Jets
Weighing Options Between F-15 EX and Rafale, Both 4.5-Generation Fighters

Indonesia is now considering purchasing the Chinese-made J-10 fighter jet. Although the Indonesian technical staff dispatched to Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) were cleared of charges or received suspended indictments, Indonesia has effectively turned its back on the joint development of the KF-21.

The domestically produced supersonic fighter jet KF-21 is being unveiled at the 'Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2023' held on the 17th at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Kang Jinhyung aymsdream@

According to Indonesian media, Doni Ermawan Taufanto, Deputy Minister of Defense of Indonesia, stated, "We are evaluating the (Chinese-made) J-10 fighter jet," and added, "China has proposed not only the J-10 fighter jet, but also various other weapons including warships, weapons, and escort vessels." He also said, "We are comprehensively reviewing various factors such as system compatibility and price."

Indonesia had agreed to jointly develop the Korean supersonic fighter jet KF-21 'Boramae,' but failed to keep its promise. Even after its share of the contribution was reduced, Indonesia did not pay the amount properly. In the meantime, Indonesia has only considered purchasing other aircraft models.

In August 2023, Indonesia also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Boeing, the U.S. aircraft manufacturer, to purchase 24 units of the 4.5-generation F-15 EX fighter jet. The F-15 EX is the latest upgraded version of the F-15 fighter jet, and the price offered by the U.S. to Indonesia was reportedly about $8 billion (approximately 11 trillion won). However, the final decision on the purchase remains uncertain. Deputy Minister Taufanto told Reuters that while the performance of the American fighter jet has already been sufficiently proven, the proposed price still raises questions.

Indonesia also weighed the option of French fighter jets. At the end of last month, French President Emmanuel Macron visited Jakarta, Indonesia, held a summit with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, and signed a preliminary letter of intent (LOI) for defense cooperation, mentioning the possibility of additional sales of Rafale fighter jets. Previously, President Prabowo, when he was Minister of Defense in 2022, signed a contract to purchase 42 Rafale fighter jets for $8.1 billion (approximately 11.1 trillion won), and of these, 6 units are scheduled to be delivered next year.

This time, Indonesia has included the export version of the Chinese J-10 fighter jet, the J-10 CE, among its candidates. This fighter jet drew attention after reportedly being deployed during last month's armed conflict between India and Pakistan, where it was said to have shot down the latest French Rafale fighter jet. Pakistan claimed that its J-10 CE fighter jets shot down five Indian Air Force jets, including three Rafales, and later, China also stated, "The J-10 CE shot down several aircraft in aerial combat at once without any losses."

Deputy Minister Taufanto said, "We are also considering the French proposal," and added, "We are comparing various options such as the J-10 and F-15, along with the overall budget." The issue is that he did not mention the Korean supersonic fighter jet KF-21 'Boramae,' which Indonesia had agreed to develop jointly with Korea.

Currently, Indonesia is not properly paying its promised contribution for the KF-21 project.

The Korean government, in response to Indonesia's financial difficulties, decided to reduce Indonesia's contribution from the original 1.6 trillion won to 600 billion won, while also reducing the scale of technology transfer. The Korean government requested Indonesia to revise the joint development agreement. However, after Indonesian technical staff were caught attempting to take unauthorized portable storage devices (USBs) containing KF-21 data out of the country and became subject to investigation in Korea, the Indonesian government did not actively engage in discussions for revision.

Recently, as five Indonesian engineers were cleared of charges or received suspended indictments by Korean prosecutors, there has been speculation that the Indonesian government may move to revise the KF-21 joint development agreement.