The top defence official said that Jakarta will acquire at least 42 Chinese-made Chengdu J-10C fighter jets, marking the country’s first non-Western aircraft purchase deal.
Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told reporters that Indonesia would soon buy the jets as part of a plan to modernise its military. Analysts said the deal could touch regional sensitivities with geopolitical implications.
“They will be flying over Jakarta soon,” Sjafrie said. He declined to provide further details of the purchase.
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 US$9bil (RM38bil).
“So, everything should be ready,” Sadewa told reporters,
“But I have to double check when those aircraft will arrive in Jakarta from Beijing.”
Indonesia has embarked on a drive to upgrade and modernise its military arsenal and strengthen its defence industry under President Prabowo Subianto.
Subianto has crisscrossed the globe since he was appointed defence minister in 2019, travelling to China, France, Russia, Turkiye and the United States in a bid to acquire new weapon systems and surveillance and territorial defence capabilities.
The Indonesian Air Force currently has fighter jets from countries including the US, 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 Turkiye and exported to Indonesia.
Indonesia finalised an order for 42 French Dassault Rafale fighterjets in January 2024, with the first delivery expected in early 2026.
South-East Asia’s largest economy also announced the purchase of two French Scorpene submarines and 13 Thales ground control interception radars.
Beni Sukadis, a defence analyst from the Indonesia Institute for Defense and Strategic Studies, said the government shouldn’t underestimate the geopolitical implications of its choices. — AP
