Jakarta. The Defense Ministry revealed Monday that talks are underway for when Indonesia will receive its first Turkish-made KAAN fighter jet. 

Last year, Indonesia signed the contract to buy 48 KAAN units in a bid to upgrade its air force fleet. This is the fifth-generation, stealth fighter developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). As Indonesia recently had its inaugural “2+2 meeting” with Turkey, the Jakarta Globe asked Defense Ministry’s spokesman, Rico Ricardo Sirait, when the Indonesian Air Force would fly its first KAAN jet. 

“On KAAN, the discussions are ongoing in stages as we take into account various technical aspects and our national defense needs,” Rico told the Globe by text.

The 2+2 meeting in Ankara saw Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and chief diplomat Sugiono holding talks with their Turkish counterparts. A post-meeting joint declaration showed that both sides sought stronger defense industry cooperation, although the document did not explicitly mention the KAAN jets. 

“Ministers further emphasized the importance of strategic defense industry cooperation, particularly in the areas of joint ventures, joint development, and joint production,” the document reads.

The KAAN is set to replace the aging F-16 fleet of the Turkish Air Force. Indonesia officially becomes the first export customer of KAAN. The aircraft is still under development, although it already had its maiden flight in 2024. The two other prototypes will fly later this year. 

Turkish news outlet Anadolu Agency had quoted TAI in June 2025, saying that they would deliver the 48 KAAN jets to Jakarta within 10 years. About a month later, the Indonesian government revealed that the contract included the establishment of a “local industry in Indonesia” without disclosing more details.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is happy to work with Indonesia on upgrading the Southeast Asian nation’s defense capabilities, according to Sjafrie.

“President Erdogan also expressed his pride in working closely with President Prabowo [Subianto], especially in efforts to enhance Indonesia’s defense capabilities,” Sjafrie said, after paying a courtesy visit to the Turkish leader in Istanbul over the weekend.

The defense industry partnership is not limited to KAAN. When Erdogan came to Bogor last year, Turkish defense company Baykar signed a partnership to set up a manufacturing plant of drones in Indonesia via a joint venture scheme with the local holding Republikorp. 

Prabowo, a former army general, has been big on military modernization.

Indonesia is also gearing up to accept the first tranche of the 42 units of the French-made Rafale jets it had ordered. Both governments had confirmed that the first Rafale delivery would take place in early 2026. However, Rico said he could not reveal the exact date, saying that it would be announced at an “appropriate time”.

“But we are also coordinating with the Indonesian Air Force to prepare for Rafale’s arrival, be it on personnel readiness, infrastructure, and operational support systems,” Rico told the Globe.

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