S Korea, Indonesia to deepen ties on fighter jets, submarines
SEOUL, (MILLAT ONLINE)::South Korea and Indonesia agreed Wednesday to strengthen bilateral military cooperation, especially in the fighter jet and submarine development sectors, as their defence chiefs held talks in Jakarta, Yonhap report said.
The two sides signed a deal in 2016 on an advanced warplane development programme, code-named KF-X/IF-X. It calls for Indonesia to pay 20 percent of the total cost, estimated at 8.1 trillion won (US $7.6 billion), to be eligible for technical data sharing and other benefits. The South Korea-led project aims to develop 4.5th-generation fighter jets by the mid-2020s.
There were news reports that the Indonesian government might be struggling to earmark the related budgets.
In meeting with his Indonesian counterpart Ryamizard Ryacudu, South Korea’s Defence Minister Song Young-moo pointed out that the KF-X/IF-X programme is crucial to the Southeast Asian country’s own technology development as well, according to Song’s ministry.
“(They) agreed to cooperate more closely so that it can become a symbol of South Korea-Indonesia cooperation,” it said. “In addition, they agreed to explore ways to strengthen defense industry cooperation in various fields, including (Indonesia’s) next submarine acquisition program.”
Indonesia has already ordered three naval submarines from South Korea, the first of which was produced in South Korea and delivered to Indonesia last year.
Song also visited the home port of the Indonesian Navy’s Eastern Fleet, which operates the sub, in Surabaya.
The minister described the submarine contract as a key “win-win” case for the two nations, which upgraded their ties to a “special, strategic partnership” during summit talks in November last year.
Song, meanwhile, paid a courtesy call on Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
Widodo, widely known as Jokowi, said he will visit South Korea within this year to help further promote the two nation’s ties, according to the ministry. Indonesia is the second leg of Song’s three-nation regional tour, which also involves stops in Singapore and Thailand.