Indonesia Plans Purchase of 48 Turkish KAAN Fighter Jets in Rp162 Trillion MoU
Reporter
June 18, 2025 | 10:32 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia is planning to acquire up to 48 KAAN fifth-generation fighter jets from Turkey, a deal estimated to be worth Rp162 trillion.
The initiative was outlined in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Indonesia's Ministry of Defense and Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) during the Indo Defence Expo and Forum at JIExpo Kemayoran, Jakarta, on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.
The MoU signing took place in the presence of President Prabowo Subianto, who was visiting the Turkish Defense Industry Pavilion at the event.
As reported by Antara on Wednesday, the MoU was signed by Indonesian Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and SSB President Prof. Haluk Gorgun. President Prabowo stood beside the signing table near Sjafrie during the ceremony.
President Prabowo was accompanied by Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Budi Gunawan and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya.
The KAAN, developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries, is Turkey’s first domestically produced fifth-generation fighter jet. It boasts advanced features such as stealth capability, high maneuverability, supercruise, low radar visibility, adaptive avionic systems, enhanced situational awareness, precision targeting, and interoperability.
No Contract Has Been Signed Yet
Despite the fanfare, the cooperation between Indonesia and Turkey on the KAAN fighter jets remains at the MoU stage and has not yet reached a formal purchase contract.
"The MoU signed by the Ministry of Defense is not a contract, it's still a memorandum," said Brigadier General Frega Wenas Inkiriwang, Head of the Information Bureau of the Ministry of Defense’s General Secretariat, in an interview with Tempo at the 2024 Indo Defence Expo on Thursday, June 12, 2025.
Frega made the statement in response to a post on platform X by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who announced that Turkey would export 48 KAAN fighter jets to Indonesia. Erdogan hailed the agreement as a milestone for the Turkish defense industry and highlighted plans to incorporate Indonesia’s local manufacturing capabilities into the production process.
Frega clarified that while President Erdogan mentioned the figure of 48 aircraft, that number is not yet finalized. "I dare not speak about the numbers. The most likely scenario is that the 48 is in the context of the MoU," he said.
He further explained that the actual number of jets and technical details, such as technology transfer and joint production arrangements, are still under negotiation. "When we have written a contract for 48, then I can disclose it," he added.
Rafiif Nur Tahta Bagaskara contributed to the writing of this article.
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