Indonesia will buy 48 KAAN fighter jets from Turkey as it upgrades its Air Force, Indonesia’s Defense Ministry announced in late July 2025.
Defense Ministry spokesperson Frega Wenas Inkiriwang said the nations signed an implementation contract on the sidelines of the International Defence Industry Fair in Istanbul, according to the Reuters news service.
The KAAN, which is being developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), is the nation’s first domestically produced combat aircraft. It completed its first flight in February 2024 and production is expected to begin in 2028. Indonesia is the first export customer for the fifth-generation jet.
Under the 10-year delivery timeline, production and maintenance facilities will be established in Indonesia to support technology sharing and development of the nation’s defense industrial base. Indonesian state-owned aerospace company PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) and land systems manufacturer PT Republik Armorindo Defense also will participate in the program.
“This signature is not merely an export milestone — it marks the beginning of a new era in engineering, production, and technology sharing,” Turkey’s Defense Industries Secretariat stated, according to the publication Aviation Week.
The $10 billion deal extends the modernization of the Indonesian Air Force, whose current fleet includes United States-made F-16 fighters. The Air Force is awaiting 42 Rafale fighters from French defense manufacturer Dassault, with the first set to be delivered in early 2026 under an $8.1 billion agreement.
During the defense expo, Indonesia also agreed to purchase two Milgem Istif-class frigates from Turkey’s TAIS Shipyard, which follows the integration of Turkish weapons and combat systems aboard Indonesia’s planned Merah Putih-class frigates. Turkish defense firm Roketsan also signed a technology transfer agreement with Indonesia for its Cakir cruise missile system.
Indonesia also announced in 2025 the acquisition of 12 ANKA drones in a $300 million deal with TAI. Six drones will be built in Turkey and six assembled by PTDI, with delivery expected in late 2025. The uncrewed aerial vehicles will be integrated across Indonesia’s Air Force, Army and Navy to bolster protection of the country’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone.
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