Indonesia Fast Moving Forward with KF-21 Joint Stealth Fighter Program

The Indonesian Air Force has made further progress towards procurement of KF-21 fifth generation fighter, with a second test pilot from the service flying from the front seat of a twin-seat prototype of the aircraft on September 30 on a one hour sortie alongside Korea Aerospace Industries test pilot Koh Hwi Seok. The two countries in mid-June finalised a revised agreement for the Indonesian Air Force’s procurement of the fighters, following years of uncertainty regarding Jakarta’s commitment to the joint program and failures to meet required financing levels. The Indonesian Defence Ministry had initially committed to finance 20 percent of the program’s costs of the joint program. The Indonesian Defence Ministry currently plans to procure 48 KF-21s, which will form the backbone of its fleet alongside South Korean T-50 lightweight combat jets and French Rafale fighters.

The KF-21 is expected to be by far the most capable fighter in Indonesian service, with its stealth capabilities, thrust, endurance and weaponry placing it far ahead of the Rafale in terms of its capabilities. Indonesia currently has a contract on hold to procure 11 Russian Su-35 fighters, and has reportedly shown a strong interest in the Russian Su-57, with considerable uncertainty remaining regarding whether it will proceed with any procurements of non-NATO standard combat jets in the face of sustained threats of Western sanctions. Signifiant steps by the country’s government particularly from 2022 to ‘sanctions proof’ its economy against possible Western attacks has fuelled speculation that this could pave the way towards such procurements. A major constraint of both the KF-21 and the Rafale remains their relatively short ranges and small sizes of their radars, with much larger Russian fighters such as the Su-35 and Su-57 reported to have been favoured due to their suitability for protecting far larger areas.