South Korea's radar technology ranks 12th in the world, putting it further behind advanced nations compared to three years ago, a state research agency said Wednesday.

South Korea has been developing an indigenous fighter jet known as the Korean Fighter Experimental project, scheduled for completion by 2025. Controversy over the project's viability grew after the United States refused to transfer four core technologies, including those for active electronically scanned arrayradar.

According to a report published by the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality, South Korea currently holds 78 percent of the radar technologies of advanced nations, ranking it 12th in the world.

Its technologies for synthetic aperture radar and electro-optical and infrared sensors have respectively reached 76 percent and 79 percent of the level of advanced nations, or 12th and 11th in the world.

"(South Korea) is developing core technologies for the development of radar matching the level of advanced nations, but the most advanced nations have continued to develop cutting-edge active phased array radars, increasing our gap with them compared to 2012," the agency said in the report.

South Korea's overall defense technology, however, ranked 9th among the 16 countries subject to the study, which is on par with Italy.

The U.S. remained No. 1, followed by France, Russia, Germany, Britain, Japan, China and Israel.

South Korea's defense technology reached 81 percent of the level of the U.S., the report said. In 2012, that figure was 80 percent.

The DTaQ publishes the report every three years. (Yonhap)