Seoul. 06 December, 2015. South Korea and Indonesia are set to get their strategic partnership to a higher level. The two countries signed a strategic cooperation agreement on the joint development and production of KFX/IFX jet fighters.
The agreement was signed by Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. president and CEO Ha Sung-yong and his counterpart PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) president director Budi Santoso. Witnessed by Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu and South Korean Ambassador to Jakarta Cho Tai-young at the Defense Ministry, the agreement represents the second phase of the KFX/IFX program, the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase.
The agreement would lead to production, maintenance or sustenance, modification and upgrade of the jet fighter. The program would use original South Korean technologies and would not affected by the US refusal to provide his country with four critical technologies, namely active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, infrared search and track system (IRST), electronic optics targeting pod and radio frequency jammer.
The US’ refusal would not hinder the US$7.8-billion joint program as there are other suppliers of such technologies, feel both the parties. The first prototype would be produced by 2019.