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Does Indonesia own the intellectual property? Can it export without South Korean permission?

Despite our aerospace experts are contributing to design and R&D with substantial amount of experts/engineers (52 experts since 2011, increases into 114 in 2019), but due to our financial contribution is only 20 % and the promised acquisition is only 48 planes so look like we dont have IP right and dont have export license (it is what we are negotiating).

Despite so, financially we will get 20 % of all sales and contribute making parts for all KFX/IFX. The full production is only for IFX (making parts, assembling, integration) while for order outside Indonesia, we only supply parts and possibly regional maintenance.

All Indonesian engineers has come back to Indonesia since March 2020 and waiting for renegotiation result.

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The build quality looks immaculate, perfect. At Western Standards for sure. They have achieved a lot given their size and the cost of the programme. A 4.5+ gen homegrown is better than not having it, and it gives them the foundation on which to attempt a 5-6 gen hybrid platform for the next iteration.

Interesting privacy cover mask on the MFD !!!! It is always the fist thing i look at and there is not much to see there.

The symbology on the HUD looks alot like the F16.. i guess form follows function and your experience..
 
First prototype of KF-X fighter jet to be unveiled next month


Posted on : Mar.3,2021 16:50 KST Modified on : Mar.3,2021 16:50 KST
ROK Air Force to acquire 120 aircraft once fighter development is complete

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The first prototype of the KF-X South Korean fighter jet at the Korea Aerospace Industries facility in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, is pictured on Feb. 24. (provided by the Kookbang Ilbo)

On the afternoon of Feb. 24, technicians at the fixed-wing aircraft development hanger of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) were busy working on the prototype of the KF-X South Korean fighter jet, which is scheduled to be launched in April. Located in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, the hanger is a sprawling building that covers more than three football fields, with an area of 21,600 square meters (5.3 acres).

The prototype’s fuselage bristles with devices, parts, and cables, presenting a formidable image of a fighter aircraft. Six or seven people stood underneath the fuselage with a small cart, focused on an explanation that involved a lot of hand gestures.

“Now that we’ve completed the engine installation test, we’re removing the engine to paint the fuselage. Once painting wraps up next week, the fuselage will take on a dark gray hue,” a KAI staffer said. The engine is being removed to prevent contamination while the plane is being painted and will be reinstalled afterward, the staffer explained.

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and KAI plan to put on quite a show for the launch of the KF-X prototype in April. A “media day” event was held on Feb. 24 for the domestic press, in which officials presented the results of the development project to date.

The KF-X project began in 2015, when the South Korean government earmarked 8.8 trillion won (US$7.12 billion) to develop a jet fighter that could be the future workhorse of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Air Force, replacing the aging F-4 and F-5 fighters. KAI is leading this international joint R&D project and contributing 20% of the cost, with the South Korean government paying 60% of the cost and the Indonesian government paying the remaining 20%.

The launch of the prototype represents the first tangible results of a promise made about 20 years before. During a commissioning ceremony for graduates of the Korea Air Force Academy in March 2001, former president Kim Dae-jung announced that South Korea would develop a top-of-the-line fighter. Actual confirmation of the long-term need for a new aircraft came 18 years ago, in a meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in November 2002.

Jung Gwang-seon, head of DAPA’s KF-X project team, described the significance of the prototype launch as follows. “This will be a monumental event when Korea’s first fighter is unveiled. From the perspective of the developers, this is a crucial time when a fighter that had only existed in plans becomes a reality and we move into the phase of testing the performance of our research.”



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The first prototype of the KF-X South Korean fighter jet at the Korea Aerospace Industries facility in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, is pictured on Feb. 24. (provided by the Kookbang Ilbo)


The KF-X is larger than the F-16 but smaller than the F-15, measuring 11.2 meters (36 feet) across and 16.9 meters (55 feet) long. It’s equipped with the latest sensors, including AESA radar (standing for active electronically scanned array), infrared search and track (IRST) equipment, and an electro-optical targeting pod (EO TGP). That gives it the ability to “see first and shoot first,” a requirement on the modern battlefield.


The fighter has 10 weapon stations, with three on each wing and four under the fuselage. The stations can hold a range of cutting-edge weapons, including air-to-air missiles and air-to-surface missiles, weighing up to 7.7 tons. The plane is also equipped with a 20mm Vulcan cannon.

While not exactly a stealth fighter, the KF-X does have a basic stealth profile. That leaves open the option of evolving the design into a fifth-generation fighter through the application of full-fledged stealth technology.

“Becoming a stealth fighter is about more than the shape; we’d also have to develop more technology including radar-absorbing paints and internal weapon bays. In the future, we’ll look into the option of continuing to develop and apply related technology from a long-term perspective,” a KAI staffer said.

Once fighter development is complete, 120 aircraft will be supplied to the ROK Air Force. In exchange for its financial contribution, Indonesia will receive one prototype and technological data, which it will use to build 48 aircraft in local facilities. But Indonesia hasn’t kept up with its financial payments, prompting concerns that the KF-X project may be in trouble.

DAPA reported to the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee last month that of the 831.6 billion won (US$753.1 million) that Indonesia was supposed to pay through February, it had only paid 227.2 billion won (US$205.7 million), leaving 604.4 billion won (US$547.3 million) unpaid. Indonesia had agreed to pay its total contribution of 1.76 trillion won (US$1.57 billion), representing 20% of the project cost, in several stages.

In a statement addressing the controversy, DAPA said that “the Indonesians have expressed their commitment to continued participation in the KF-X development program” and that “the two countries have been seeking a mutually beneficial arrangement through several rounds of working-level negotiations.”

“Indonesia appears to be having a hard time keeping up with its payment plan because of the coronavirus and its economic recession. While the goal of our deliberations is to move forward together if at all possible, the project would certainly not be halted even if Indonesia were to withdraw,” said Jung Gwang-seon, head of the DAPA project team, on Monday.


By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer


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So look like Indonesia has paid its February payment, but not yet entire payment that it has delayed previously. I think it shows Indonesia is still interested to continue.
 
Indonesian defense minister likely to attend KF-X rollout event in S. Korea

All News 17:03 April 01, 2021

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Kang Eun-ho (4th from L), head of South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), meets with Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (3rd from R) in Surabaya, Indonesia, on March 17, 2021, in this photo provided by the South Korean Embassy in the Southeast Asian nation. Kang visited Indonesia to attend a ceremony for South Korea to hand over a 1,400-ton submarine to the Indonesian Navy later in the day. The 61-meter submarine, dubbed Alugoro, was the third and last unit South Korea delivered to Indonesia under a 1.3 trillion-won (US$1.15 billion) contract in 2011. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)



SEOUL, April 1 (Yonhap) -- Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto is expected to attend an upcoming rollout ceremony showcasing a prototype of South Korea's first indigenous fighter jet, sources said Thursday, in what could be a sign the country remains committed to the joint development project.

Indonesia had promised to shoulder 20 percent of the 8.8 trillion-won (US$7.9 billion) development cost, but it has stopped making payments after investing 227.2 billion won with around 600 billion won overdue, spurring speculation that the country is seeking to quit the KF-X project.

Whether Indonesia will send senior officials to the rollout ceremony expected to take place in the first couple of weeks of April has been a focus of attention because it would signal the country will remain a partner for the project.

"As far as I know, Indonesia has delivered to our government an intent that senior military officials, including Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, will attend the KF-X rollout event," a source said.
Kang Eun-ho, the head of South Korea's arms procurement agency, visited Indonesia last month and handed over the invitation.

Eyes are on whether the defense cooperation between the two sides will get back on track on the occasion of Prabowo's visit. Besides the fighter jet project, Indonesia signed a deal with South Korea in 2019 to purchase three submarines, but the business has also made little progress since then.

 
24 March 2021

LIG Nex1 delivers EW self-protection system prototype for KF-X fighter aircraft

by Dae Young Kim

South Korean defence company LIG Nex1 has developed an electronic warfare (EW) self-protection system for integration with the Korean Fighter eXperimental (KF-X) fighter aircraft being developed for the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF).


LIG Nex1 has delivered an internal EW self-protection system prototype for integration with the RoKAF’s future KF-X multirole fighter aircraft.  (LIG Nex1)

LIG Nex1 has delivered an internal EW self-protection system prototype for integration with the RoKAF’s future KF-X multirole fighter aircraft. (LIG Nex1)

Company officials told Janes that a prototype of the system was delivered to aircraft manufacturer Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in the second half of 2020 to equip the KF-X prototypes currently being assembled at KAI headquarters in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province. The first prototype is expected to be formally rolled out in April.

KAI expects to complete construction of the second and third KF-X prototypes this year and finish assembling the remaining three aircraft by the first half of 2022. The fourth and sixth prototypes are expected to be tandem-seat variants.

The officials said that the internal EW suite, which was developed under a KRW114.5 billion (USD101 million) contract signed in late October 2016, is expected to enter series production following a series of trials and evaluations.

On its website LIG Nex1 described the system, which it referred to simply as the “KFX EW Suite”, as an “EW self-protection jammer” that is designed to detect, analyse, and jam signals from enemy radars and/or incoming missiles. The suite will also be integrated with countermeasures and decoys on the KF-X, including chaffs and flares.

 
It is reported that Indonesia requested a loan of $5 billion in USD from South Korea as a condition for Indonesia to return back to the KF-X/IF-X program when Indonesia has overdue payments towards the KF-X/IF-X program.
 
It is reported that Indonesia requested a loan of $5 billion in USD from South Korea as a condition for Indonesia to return back to the KF-X/IF-X program when Indonesia has overdue payments towards the KF-X/IF-X program.

That is just a rumor, your government has already debunked that
 
That is just a rumor, your government has already debunked that

I doubt it. The Korean government only denied the rumor about Indonesia of wanting to halve the contribution towards the KF-X / IF-X program, but not the loan.

Amid a media report Indonesia has asked to halve its contribution for the project, the arms procurement agency denied adjustment in the burden sharing ratio.


Asked to comment on the reported request of $5 billion worth of loans from South Korea, Seo said, "It is not a question to be answered by the arms procurement agency."


It is plausible that Indonesia demanded Korea to invest $5 billion into Indonesia's soverign wealth fund since the Jokowi administration recently revealed their ambition of doubling Indonesia's wealth fund target from $100 billion to $200 billion when they were starting with only $15 billion and the Korean media interpreted the demand as a loan.

 
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It is reported that Indonesia requested a loan of $5 billion in USD from South Korea as a condition for Indonesia to return back to the KF-X/IF-X program when Indonesia has overdue payments towards the KF-X/IF-X program.

Well if we are going to take a loan to invest back in (our part of) KFX development and facilities, and Korea have some to loan, then it should be fine right..? Afterall it's a loan and will be paid back (with interest) eventually, it's not a grant, aid or something similar... I think it's obvious that cash liquidity is not something we have in abundance... All our other plans to purchase fighter jets, frigates, subs, etc all will be financed through foreign loans...

And anyway let's say that we didn't get the loan and is unable to pay for our share of the development cost and we dropped out of the project, wouldn't Korea still need to cover the remaining 20% dev costs of KFX and at the same time lose a certain customer...? As long as we are in the project, have the facilities, get some workshare.. we will certainly buy KFX as our law mandated purchasing arms with local content in it.. the more the better...

So if these rumors are really true, then I feel the best win-win solution would be for Indonesia to get a loan from Korea, invest it back in KFX dev including paying all due fees (without reducing workshare / contribution), keep the partnership, complete the dev ASAP and recommit to purchasing XX number of KFX when it becomes available...
 
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