KAI and South Korea’s Defence Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) along with Indonesian Airframer PTDI will work together to design the Korean Fighter eXperiment (KF-X)/ Indonesian Fighter eXperiment (IF-X), a 4.5 generation stealth multi-role fighter. PTDI will send 100 engineers to South Korea in May to take part in the structural design of the aircraft and other stages of development. Lockheed Martin will be providing aviation-related technologies and expertise.
The South Korean Government will fund 60% of the development costs, while the remaining 40% of funding is expected to be shared by KAI and Indonesia. Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) has signed a joint development contract with Indonesian Ministry of Defence’s Preparatory Power Bureau on the funding. About one % of the total Indonesian project spending will be invested by April this year. Indonesia's funding will increase to over two %, starting from 2017. In total, Indonesia will invest an estimated 1.6 trillion won ($1.3 billion) or 20 % of the developmental cost (estimated at 8.6 trillion won/ $7.1 billion). Indonesia will receive one prototype for service testing as well as technical informations and drawings for the KF-X.
The maiden flight of the KF-X is planned for 2020 with the completion of development by 2026. Korea is expected to buy 120 aircraft and Indonesia 80. KAI estimates that there is a potential export market of 600-700 aircraft.
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| Artist's Impression of KF-X |
Asian Defence
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