dr.knowhow
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Well, our engineers have already been in Korea since the start of designing process which is in 2011 where we sent 52 engineers/experts. As in 2019 July, Dapa Korea said there are 114 Indonesian engineers working in KAI and contributing on the design. September 2019 was CDR meeting which suggest design process has already been almost completed.
Our engineers (read: designers) left in March 2020 where prototype manufacturing has been commenced. So actually we have already had valuable design experience for STEALTH fighter design. The next thing is to send production engineers that hasnt been sent yet until now.
I would say we have already had that valuable design experience where we design the planes with South Korean and also American later, but It is morally not right if we left the program after such intense cooperation and experience exist.
This program should be a way to make two nations get close together and become strategic partners, but with this drama and unreasonable demand from Indonesian side it look like we stab our best friend in the back after we are successfully hunting a deer together and eat the meat.
Source:
Indonesia Defense Ministry official website
Badan Pendidikan dan Pelatihan Kemhan RI
www.kemhan.go.id
Korean media quoting Dapa official
Indonesia delays payment for S. Korea's fighter development project | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- Indonesia is in arrears on its payment obligations for a joint p...en.yna.co.kr
I mean, I'm not suggesting that Indonesians are back stabbing or anything because, like I've said, there have been countless cases where partner nation(s) of a joint development program quit mid course. If they feel that they could get a more favorable term elsewhere, it is not a choice but an obligation for someone using taxpayer money to do so. It's only that I am doubtful if such thing (more favorable deal than KF-X/IF-X) exists due to the high-tech and therefore strategic nature of fighter jet technology.
Also, detailed design phase is only a part of the whole EMD phase as you would know. If there's anything I could be assured of, fixing the problems which are found during the actual testing is just as important as the designing of an aircraft and it is one of the most important ability of an engineer. Hence the reason we differentiate the TRL of 6 from 7 and 7 from 8.
Furthermore, not having the production engineers like you've mentioned is imo a bigger problem for Indonesia when it comes to gaining knowledge because from my impression, the Indonesian engineers already have quite an experience designing a subsonic aircraft. It is the QC that Indonesia has had problems before, cracks found on the fuselage of CN-235M of ROKCG being one of the examples.
The ability to assure high standards of QC is the key to expand Indonesia's aerospace industry beyond what it is today (supplying main wing leading edge structures for 2 Airbus aircrafts, one of which being phased out next year) because countries other than those few in Europe and Americas all rely on the parts supply and RSP to keep a big part of their aerospace industry alive. This has been the case for Israel, Japan, Turkey, SK and a few other. To a certain extent this is even true for those with an established aerospace industry like Canada and Brazil. One thing in common is that these countries all have high enough QC standards to meet Boeing, Airbus, GE, PW, RR, etc 's demands to supply them with critical components and take part in their development programs as RSP.
If Indonesia wants to expand its customers from just Airbus to also include Boeing, Bombardier, etc and manufacture more critical products like main wing structure or body sections for more models, it would need a bigger leap in its abilities to assure QC. Having the production engineers in Korea and getting few Korean engineers to help them out back in Indonesia (I would be surprised if this doesn't happen during the program, shall both countries continue together) would without a doubt be extremely helpful in realizing such higher standards.
There are some automation going on in KF-X manufacturing line as well, so that's also what the Indonesian production engineers could benchmark.
