Indonesian technicians were caught attempting to smuggle out sensitive development data on the KF-21, a supersonic fighter jet co-developed with South Korea, marking a significant breach in the bilateral defense collaboration. This incident occurred 13 years after South Korean National Intelligence Service agents were caught unauthorized in the accommodations of an Indonesian delegation in 2011.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration reported that on Jan. 17, an Indonesian technician who was working on the KF-21 development with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) was caught trying to take out several unauthorized USB drives containing extensive development data.
A joint investigation is currently underway by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the National Intelligence Service, and the Defense Counterintelligence Command to determine whether any classified information has been leaked or if there has been a violation of the Defense Industry Technology Protection Act. Officials from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and KAI have stated that they have been investigating for fifteen days and have not found any evidence of national secrets such as core technology being leaked.
Some people are drawing comparisons between S. Korea’s response to a recent incident and Indonesia’s handling of a similar situation in 2011.
Back then, S. Korean National Intelligence Service agents were caught breaking into the hotel room of an Indonesian delegation that was visiting S. Korea to negotiate the import of Air Force training aircraft T-50. The NIS agents were trying to gather information to help secure the successful export of the T-50. However, the Indonesian government only expressed its displeasure and downplayed the incident as “a minor misunderstanding.”
The KF-21 project is a large-scale development project that has a total cost of 8 trillion won ($5.9 billion). In 2016, Indonesia agreed to bear $1.1 billion of the development cost and, in return, receive various technologies. However, Indonesia has not paid about 1 trillion won of its share due to budget shortages. There are suggestions that the South Korean government is also restraining from taking excessive actions because they need to proceed with the joint development project in the future.
A representative from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration has stated that there are some reports in the media that an Indonesian technician has secured technical data related to KF-21. These reports suggest that avionic equipment, such as the AESA radar, which is equivalent to the eyes of the fighter jet, has been obtained.
However, the military officials urge restraint and patience as there is no solid evidence to support such rumors. Another military official added, “We believe no content has emerged that would violate military secrets or the Defense Industry Technology Security Act. Thus, it seems that there was no core technology that could be classified as a secret.”
The KAI building is divided into several areas, and it is known that Indonesian technicians are not allowed to enter some of these areas. However, due to the significant amount of data accessed by these technicians, the Counterintelligence Command and the National Intelligence Service are investigating the possibility of an insider within KAI. Some of the technologies transferred from the United States to KAI were not approved for export by the US government. This raises the possibility that the US government may question the potential leak of unapproved data.
Indonesia has agreed to cover the development cost of $1.1 billion by Jun. 2026. In return, they will receive one prototype aircraft and various technical data.
The KF-21 project began in 2016, and at that time, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance in Korea suggested joint development with another country for economic reasons. Turkey was considered, among others, before ultimately choosing to co-develop with Indonesia. Currently, about ten Indonesian technicians are receiving technology transfer training at KAI. The number was once about thirty but has decreased due to the coronavirus outbreak.
In April 2021, the KF-21′s first prototype was introduced. Since then, up to six prototypes have flown successfully. The Korean Air Force intends to replace the retired F-4 and other outdated fighters with a total of 120 aircraft. They plan to deploy 40 units produced between 2026 and 2028, followed by an additional 80 units by 2032.