After India-Pak conflict, Indonesia mulls getting China's J-10 fighter jets

Indonesia said China has offered to sell it J-10 jets, the fighter aircraft that were recently battle-tested in Pakistan’s clashes with India.

The government is examining whether the planes widely used by China’s air force meet operational requirements and can be integrated into Indonesia’s existing systems, Deputy Defense Minister Donny Ermawan Taufanto said during a public discussion in Jakarta on Wednesday.

He said that the jets were offered during a visit by Indonesian Air Force officials to China, but emphasized that the assessment remains preliminary and that Jakarta hasn’t dispatched a team to conduct a technical evaluation or pursue the offer further.

“This is just an offer,” Taufanto said.

Indonesia’s consideration of the J-10 comes as military spending rises worldwide, driven in part by conflicts including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The talks also highlight Jakarta’s effort to diversify suppliers as part of its broader military modernization push under President Prabowo Subianto, a former general who has pledged to upgrade the country’s air and naval capabilities while keeping Indonesia diplomatically neutral.

The J-10, developed by Avic Chengdu Aircraft Co Ltd., is a single-engine, multirole fighter that saw action in the recent conflict between Pakistan, China’s closest defense partner, and India. Islamabad inducted a fleet of J-10C jets in 2022, in what was seen as a response to India’s acquisition of French Rafale aircraft — the same model Jakarta is procuring under a separate deal.

Southeast Asia’s largest economy has bought munitions and air surveillance systems from China in the past, but not jet fighters. A major arms purchase would mark a significant deepening of ties with Beijing, Indonesia’s largest trading partner and a key source of foreign investment.

Under Prabowo, Indonesia has been exploring various options for fighters from traditional defense partners and new countries alike. It has played a role in South Korea’s development of the KF-21 supersonic jet, and in April Prabowo signaled that he was interested in Turkey’s plan to develop a KAAN fifth-generation fighter jet.

Bloomberg News recently reported that Prabowo had instructed defense officials to considering reviving past plans to buy F-15EX jets from Boeing.

Taufanto said Indonesia’s approach to procurement reflects a pragmatic, non-aligned defense strategy, giving the country broad latitude to pursue military deals across a range of partners.

“If we find that the jet performs well, meets our criteria, and comes at a good price, why not?” he said, referring to the J-10. “We’re not bound by any alliance, so we can source weapons from any country, including China.”