Indonesia to buy 42 fighter jets from China marking its first non-Western aircraft purchase deal
Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin walks during a welcoming ceremony in Jakarta, Indonesia, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, file)
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — 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.
“They will be flying over Jakarta soon,” Sjamsoeddin said. He declined to provide further details of the purchase.
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.
“So, everything should be ready,” Sadewa told reporters, “But I have to double check when those aircrafts will arrive in Jakarta from Beijing.”
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.
The Indonesian Air Force currently has fighter jets from countries including the U.S., Russia and Britain. Some of these aircraft need to be upgraded or replaced.
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.
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