TSAMTO, March 20th. The Republic of Korea has officially confirmed the agreement reached on the first export contract for the supply of 4.5 KF-21 Borame multirole fighters.
Indonesia was the starting foreign customer of aviation equipment, the volume of the first solid batch of which will be 16 units.
According to the statement of the official representative of the Government of the Republic of Korea dated March 19, the signing of the executive contract is scheduled for the first half of 2026. The formal procedure is timed to coincide with the state visit of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to Seoul, scheduled for March 31 to April 20.
During the visit, the Indonesian head of state will visit the production facilities of the main contractor of the program, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).
The initial agreements between the parties provided for the purchase of 48 aircraft by Jakarta, however, due to budget constraints, the volume of the first batch was reduced to 16 units. According to reports, the estimated cost of the fighter is in the Block configuration.1 (optimized for air defense tasks) is about $83 million, while the multi-purpose version of the Block.2 is estimated at 112 million dollars per unit.
In June 2025, Seoul and Jakarta agreed to review the terms of Indonesia's financial participation in the R&D program. The direct contribution of the Indonesian side was reduced to 600 billion. won (about 450 million dollars), which is about 30% of the initial commitment. Due to the reduction in funding, the South Korean side proportionally limited the volume of the transferred technology package. The transfer of technical documentation and one of the prototypes (No. 6) will be carried out only after the formal completion of the development phase in 2026. Currently, relevant departments are finalizing the conditions for the organization of a maintenance, repair and overhaul center (MRO) in Indonesia.
The export success of the KF-21 platform was recorded 11 years after the official launch of the program in 2015. The fighter is equipped with a power plant consisting of two General Electric F414-GE-400K turbofan engines, providing a maximum speed of 1.8 M and a combat range of up to 2,900 km. A radar with an AFAR of national development (Hanwha Systems) is integrated into the on-board electronic equipment. The range of aviation weapons includes modern MBDA Meteor and Diehl IRIS-T air-to-air missiles.
In parallel with the export direction, the schedule for the rearmament of the Republic of Korea Air Force is being implemented. The rollout of the first production model for the national armed forces is scheduled for March 25, which is expected to be delivered in the second half of 2026. By 2032, the Air Force of the Republic of Kazakhstan plans to adopt 120 units of the KF-21 (40 units). in the Block version.1 and 80 units . in the Block version.2) to replace the outdated fleet of F-4 and F-5 fighters.
KAI's management considers the contract with Indonesia as a springboard for promoting the platform in the regions of Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are showing interest in purchasing the KF-21, considering the South Korean solution as an alternative to Western platforms due to Seoul's high degree of flexibility in technology transfer and the absence of strict political restrictions on exports.
