Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Defense has signed a contract to purchase 48 KAAN fighter jets from the Turkish government to strengthen its air defense.The KAAN, Turkey’s fifth-generation fighter jet, is designed for advanced air combat capabilities.
The signing of the contract between Indonesian and Turkish government representatives was witnessed by Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin during the 2025 International Defense Exhibition in Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday (July 26, 2025).
“This signing is a follow-up to the government-to-government agreement previously signed on June 11, 2025,” head of the information and communications bureau of the Ministry of Defense’s Secretariat General, Brigadier General Frega Wenas Inkiriwang, said in a press release in Jakarta on Monday.
The collaboration will benefit Indonesia significantly, starting from supporting the development of its domestic defense industry to improving the quality of its human resources in the field of defense technology.
The arrival of new fighter jets is expected to significantly boost Indonesia’s air defense “The local industrial base that will be established in Indonesia is expected to be tangible evidence of a mutually beneficial partnership based on friendship,” Inkiriwang said.
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However, he did not specify when the contract would come into effect or the deadline for the aircraft to be manufactured and delivered to Indonesia.
He said that the purchase of the defense equipment would strengthen military relations between Indonesia and Turkey.
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Inkiriwang also expressed the hope that further cooperation in the defense sector would be established to benefit both the Indonesian and Turkish militaries.
“This collaboration between Indonesia and Turkey in the defense sector demonstrates the strong bilateral relationship between the two countries, not only in defense diplomacy but also in technology transfer and increasing the independence of the national defense industry,” he added.
