South Korea plans to sign an agreement to export 16 KF-21 fighter jets to Indonesia, a government source said, which would mark the first overseas sale of a South Korean-made fighter jet.
The two countries will finalize an agreement to export the fighter jets on the occasion of President Prabowo Subianto's state visit to South Korea, which is scheduled from March 31 to April 2, according to the source.
"The final contract for the export deal will be completed in the first half of this year after the price negotiations," the source said.
If realized, it would mark the first overseas export of a South Korean-made fighter jet.
South Korea launched the KF-21 development program in 2015 to acquire a domestically produced supersonic fighter jet to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of US-made F-4 and F-5 jets.
Indonesia initially agreed to bear around 20 percent of the project costs as a partner country until June 2026 in return for Seoul's technology transfer and other requirements.
However, Jakarta failed to meet the payment deadline and proposed a reduction in its contribution in exchange for a reduction in the level of technology transfer.
In addition, the South Korean police have also conducted an investigation into the alleged theft of technology by Indonesian engineers at Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd., the manufacturer of the KF-21.
The two countries signed a final agreement in June last year to cut Jakarta's contribution to the joint fighter jet project to 600 billion won (Rp6.7 trillion), about a third of the original amount.
The Kf-21 fighter jet successfully completed its flight test in January without an accident.
The state arms procurement agency plans to complete the development of the fighter jet in the first half of this year and deliver the first batch of the advanced fighter jets to the Air Force in the second half.
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