flood South Korea is expected to begin production of the KF-21 fighter jet this year as planned, the government's Arms Procurement Agency (DAPA) said on Wednesday, in what will be an important milestone in the country's quest for a domestically developed advanced fighter.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration intends to sign a contract with Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd., the plane's manufacturer, in the first half of the year to pave the way for large-scale production of the KF-21, according to a DAPA official. .
In 2015, South Korea launched a joint fighter development project with Indonesia, aiming to deliver 120 KF-21 fighters to the South Korean Air Force by 2032 to replace its aging fleet of F-4s and F-4s.
DAPA said that all six KF-21 models carried out successful test flights, and conducted various performance evaluations, including supersonic flights and weapons separation tests.
The prototypes will continue several tests this year, DAPA said, adding that one of them will undergo extreme weather testing at the Defense Development Agency's test center in Seosan, 60 miles southwest of Seoul, by February.
The joint development project worth 8.1 billion won ($6.1 billion) through 2026 still faces uncertainty caused by Indonesia's delay in payments, which were estimated at about 1 billion won in October last year.
Seoul agreed to pay about 60% of the project cost, while Jakarta and KAI cover about 20% each.
The DAPA official said negotiations are underway for Jakarta to submit an updated payment plan for the project.
source: Korea Herald
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