Jakarta. Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said Wednesday that Indonesia had enough cash to expand its fighter jet fleet as Jakarta hinted at buying China’s Chengdu J-10s. 

Earlier that day, Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said that the J-10s would “soon fly in Jakarta’s airspace”, signaling Indonesia’s intention of buying the military aircraft. Sjafrie -- an army man -- did not disclose when exactly Jakarta would sign the contract or have the jets sent to the country. 

Asked about the possible J-10 deal, Purbaya said that the defense budgets for both the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years have already been approved. However, the minister admitted he was unsure whether the said budgetary plans would cover the J-10s, as Indonesia had ordered other foreign-made aircraft.

“We have already greenlit the [Defense Ministry’s] budget for next year, but I believe they already have quite a lot of money to spend, haven’t they? Isn’t it at least $9 billion, though I forgot the exact number,” Purbaya told reporters in Jakarta.

“I will have to check whether he [Sjafrie] wants to import the fighter jets in question next year or beyond. But we had given what he had requested,” Purbaya said. 

According to the Singapore-based Channel News Asia, a J-10 has a price tag of between $30 million and $40 million. This is much cheaper than the French-made Rafale jets, which can cost up to $120 million for their most basic model. Both are 4.5-generation aircraft, although the Rafale has a longer combat range of 1,850 kilometers compared to the J-10’s 1,240 kilometers. 

Indonesia has placed an order for 42 Rafale jets, three of which are expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2026. In his first year of office, President Prabowo Subianto decided to splurge the defense budget on 48 units of Turkey’s KAAN fighter jets. Reports showed that the contract is worth around $10 billion.

Jakarta is also already co-developing the KF-21 with South Korea as the latter’s junior partner, but the partnership has faced some challenges ranging from missed payment deadlines to data theft accusations.

Government data showed that the Defense Ministry could spend up to Rp 247.5 trillion ($14.9 billion) for the 2025 fiscal year. The ministry had only spent Rp 167.1 trillion ($10 billion) as of Sep. 30, equivalent to 67.5 percent of the budget. Next year, the Defense Ministry has a smaller spending cap of Rp 187.1 trillion (nearly $11.3 billion), with parts of the money also going into military equipment upgrades. 

Sjafrie’s announcement came not long after Prabowo jetted off to Beijing for a military parade commemorating the 80th year of Japan’s defeat at the end of World War II. The J-10s flew over the parade that day. The Chinese government had denied that the parade in question was Beijing’s attempt to get Prabowo -- and other world leaders -- to buy its aircraft.

“[The parade] is not a showcase. … It’s about our responsibility, strength, and determination to safeguard peace, stability, and the development of the world,” Geng Hailing, the counsellor for media at China’s Mission to ASEAN, told the Jakarta Globe.

However, Prabowo did acknowledge how important it was for a country to step up its arms investments, citing Indonesia’s past as a Dutch colony.

"History has taught all of us that a nation that does not want to invest in its defense system will have its independence stolen away. It will be subjugated to the will of others and witness its wealth being stolen,” the retired army general said back in June.

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