Indonesia inks contract for 48 Kaan fighter aircraft despite lack of fund allocation

A computer-generated image of the Kaan fighter aircraft. Indonesia has signed a contract for 48 units of the airframe. (Turkish Aerospace)

Indonesia's Ministry of Defense (MoD) has signed a contract to acquire 48 Kaan fighter aircraft from Türkiye despite a lack of visibility over how Jakarta intends to fund the acquisition.

A ceremony to ink the deal was held on 26 July at the International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) 2025 in Istanbul, the MoD announced in a statement released on 28 July.

Representing Indonesia at the contract-signing ceremony was Indonesian Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Air Vice-Marshal Yusuf Jauhari, the head of MoDʼs Defense Facilities Agency.

The contract follows a government-to-government (G2G) agreement that was signed between Indonesia and Türkiye on 11 June at the Indo Defence exhibition.

In addition to receiving the fighter aircraft, Indonesia stands to benefit from a “great opportunity to increase the capacity of the local defence industry”, read the statement by the MoD.

“This collaboration reflects the strong ties between Indonesia and Türkiye not only in defence diplomacy but also in the transfer of technology and a strengthening of our local defence industry,” the ministry added.

Kaan is a Turkish Aerospace (TA)-developed twin-engine fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft designed for air superiority and multirole missions. It has a length of 21 m and a wingspan of 14 m and undertook its maiden flight in February 2024.

Its design incorporates radar-absorbent materials and a low radar cross-section to enhance its stealth capabilities. The aircraft has a top speed of Mach 1.8 and a service ceiling of 55,000 ft.

Kaan is equipped with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and an internal weapons bay capable of carrying air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, as well as precision-guided munitions.