JAKARTA: Indonesia’s top defence official said on Wednesday (Oct 15) 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 in the capital, Jakarta, that Indonesia would soon buy fighter jets from China as part of a plan to modernise 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 defence ministry spokesperson Brigadier General 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 defence 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 US$9 billion.
“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’s administration. Subianto has crisscrossed the globe since he was appointed defence minister in 2019, travelling to China, France, Russia, Türkiye and the US in a bid to acquire new military 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 Türkiye and exported to Indonesia, Erdogan said in an X post.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-buy-42-chengdu-j10-fighter-jets-china-aircraft-purchase-5404896
