Indonesia’s top defense official said Wednesday that Jakarta will acquire at least 42 Chinese-made Chengdu J-10C fighter jets, marking the country’s first non-Western aircraft purchase deal.
Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told reporters in the capital, Jakarta, that Indonesia would soon buy fighter jets from China as part of a plan to modernize its military. Analysts said the deal could touch regional sensitivities and have geopolitical implications.
The plan to buy the J-10s was first disclosed last month by defense ministry spokesperson Brig. Gen. Frega Wenas. Local media had reported that the Indonesian Air Force was still reviewing the Chinese-made fighter jets to ensure their acquisition would effectively strengthen Indonesia’s air defense capabilities.
Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa on Wednesday confirmed that his ministry had approved a budget for the purchase of the aircraft from China that reached more than $9 billion.
Indonesia has embarked on a drive to upgrade and modernize its military arsenal and strengthen its defense industry under President Prabowo Subianto’s administration. Subianto has crisscrossed the globe since he was appointed defense minister in 2019, traveling to China, France, Russia, Turkey and the U.S. in a bid to acquire new military weapon systems and surveillance and territorial defense capabilities.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced in June that his country will export 48 of its KAAN fighter jets to Indonesia. Those jets would be manufactured in Turkey and exported to Indonesia, Erdogan said in an X post.
Indonesia finalized an order for 42 French Dassault Rafale fighter jets in January 2024, with the first delivery expected in early 2026. Southeast Asia’s largest economy also announced the purchase of two French Scorpene Evolved submarines and 13 Thales ground control interception radars.
After decades of relying on Western suppliers, a major arms purchase from Beijing “could be read as a shift in Indonesia’s security orientation amid China’s growing military and diplomatic influence in Southeast Asia region,” Sukadis said.
Posted by John3262005
2 Comments
this is actually pretty wild if they’re getting j-10s instead of western jets.. makes you wonder if there’s some political positioning happening with china’s growing influence.
So let me get this straight (according to wikipiedia) their current inventory of combat aircraft is Super Tucano, Hawk 200,T-50 Golden Eagle, Su-30, Su-27, F-16 have orders for Rafale, KF-21 Boramae, Kaan and now J-10. What in the aircraft maintenance fuck is going on here?