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Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun and Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafri Sjamasuddin shake hands during their meeting on April 21.
Indonesia has decided to buy 42 J-10C fighter jets from China to increase its military capability. This is the first time Indonesia is signing an aircraft purchase deal with a non-Western country.
Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafri Sjamasuddin said on Wednesday, ‘They will soon be seen flying in the sky of Jakarta.’ Earlier J-10C was designed only for China’s Air Force, but now China will sell it to other countries also.
Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadeva told the media that a budget of more than Rs 75 thousand crore has been approved. However, information about when these will arrive from China has not been released yet.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (second from right) and Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafri Sjamasuddin (first from left) met in Beijing
Indonesia is upgrading its fighter aircraft
The deal is part of the military reform plan of the government led by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. For this he has traveled all over the world. China, France, Russia, Türkiye and the US went on to acquire new military weapons systems, surveillance and regional defense capabilities.
Currently, the Indonesian Air Force has fighter aircraft imported from the US, Russia and Britain, but many of these are old and need to be upgraded or replaced.
Modern aircraft like the J-10C will provide Indonesia with the capability of fourth generation fighter jets, capable of air-to-air and air-to-ground strikes.
Indonesia will also buy fighter jets from France and Türkiye
Indonesia is not dependent only on China. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had announced in June that Türkiye would provide 48 KAAN fighter aircraft to Indonesia. These aircraft will be manufactured in Türkiye and will be fifth generation stealth fighters.
Apart from this, the deal for 42 Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft with France was finalized in January 2024. Whose first delivery is expected in early 2026.
Also announced was the purchase of two Scorpene Evolved Submarines and 13 Thales Ground Control Interception Radars from France. These deals show that Indonesia is not dependent on any one country for its military purchases.
KAAN is Türkiye’s first fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft
Expert’s warning – this deal may cause concern in neighboring countries
Defense analyst Benny Sukadis of Indonesia Institute for Defense and Strategic Studies has expressed serious concerns over this deal. He said that Indonesia is a politically non-aligned country, but the government should not underestimate the effects of its decisions.
After decades of purchasing arms from Western countries (such as the US and Europe), such a big deal with China may indicate a change in Indonesia’s security policy. Tsoukadis warned that the move could create regional sensitivities amid China’s growing military influence in Asia.
Especially in the South China Sea, where China has territorial claims and disputes are going on with many countries including Indonesia. This deal may cause concern in neighboring countries like Philippines, Vietnam. America and its allies may also see this as China’s expansion of influence.
Dispute between Indonesia and China regarding South China Sea
The main dispute between Indonesia and China is related to the South China Sea, which is an important route for global trade. Here China tries to capture a large part of the sea by claiming its old ‘nine-dash line’.
Which collides with the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) near the Natuna Islands of Indonesia. There are resources like oil, gas and fish here. Chinese fishing vessels and coast guards repeatedly ventured into Indonesian waters, leading to major tensions in 2019–2020 when Indonesia drove away the vessels and the president himself visited.
Indonesia states that it is not involved in the dispute and abides by international law (UNCLOS).
Chinese coast guard vessel deployed in the South China Sea.
Bangladesh is also buying 20 J-10CE fighter jets from China.
Apart from Indonesia, Bangladesh is also planning to buy 20 J-10CE fighter jets from China. The value of this deal was said to be around US$2.2 billion (approximately ₹18,500 crore).
According to the report, the agreement will also cover training, maintenance and other technical services. The payment will be made in installments over 10 financial years, i.e. till 2036.
J-10CE fighter jet available with Pakistan
- Bangladesh government approved the purchase of China’s J-10CE multirole fighter jet in October 2025.
- The 20 aircraft will be delivered by 2027, with a total cost of $2.2 billion (about Rs 18,500 crore), which includes training and spare parts. Payment will be made in 10 years.
- J-10CE aircraft will be equipped with 4.5 generation technology, AESA radar, PL-15E missile and advanced data link. With this, Bangladesh will become the third country after China and Pakistan, which will have these modern generation fighter jets.
- Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan said that the government has approved the purchase of multirole jets, surface-to-air missiles and long-range radar, but did not specify the name of China.
J-10CE fighter jet.
China had made J-10CE to sell to other countries
Both the J-10C and J-10CE are versions of the same aircraft, the Chengdu J-10, but the main difference between the two is for export and domestic use. J-10C is a model built for the Chinese Air Force.
It contains China’s most advanced technologies, including AESA radar, electronic warfare systems, and the full potential of the PL-15 missile. In this version, some sensitive or confidential systems (such as data links, radar codes, ECM software, etc.) are under China’s control.
At the same time, J-10CE is a version made for selling to other countries. It has been designed by China to export to countries like Pakistan, Indonesia. There are some technical differences, such as some software and electronic systems being changed in the version.
The radar and data link systems have some limitations for security reasons. Weapon systems are customized according to China’s control, that is, only those missiles and systems that are allowed to be exported.
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