Poland Expresses Interest In KF-21 Program
Polish defense prime Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) is eager to participate in South Korea’s KF-21 fighter program, with a letter of intent expected to be issued soon.
This comes after PGZ Board President Sebastian Chwaek’s trip to South Korea in April, during which he visited Hanwha, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
Poland plans to join the KF-21 program in 2026, the year that both the Blk 2 stage and the production of the aircraft are scheduled to commence. According to reports, Warsaw and Seoul are also talking about the terms of payment, particularly in light of Indonesia’s unfulfilled obligations.
The KF-21’s lone co-development partner, Indonesia, agreed to pay South Korea KRW 1.7 trillion ($1.29 billion), albeit that amount has not yet been fully paid.
If Poland joins the program and pays Indonesia’s share, it is also unclear how the licensed production of 48 aircraft for Indonesia and technological sharing will proceed.
Unnamed Polish military officials told Aerospace Daily in October 2022 that their nation was interested in buying KF-21s and had asked for a working meeting with KAI to exchange technical data. The insider added that Poland was also interested in the Hycore hypersonic scramjet missile and Cheonryong air-launched cruise missile, both of which would be put on the KF-21.
