\u00a0In a monumental leap for T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s defence industry and Indonesia\u2019s strategic modernization efforts, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has inked a historic $10 billion (RM46.8 billion) agreement to supply 48 KAAN fifth-generation stealth fighter jets to Jakarta, marking the largest defence export in T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s history and placing Indonesia firmly among the vanguard of next-generation airpower in Southeast Asia.<\/strong><\/p>\nFinalized during the\u00a0International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) 2025\u00a0in Istanbul, the multi-layered agreement with Indonesian aerospace firms PT Dirgantara Indonesia and PT Republik Aero Dirgantara is more than a traditional arms deal. It represents a full-spectrum defence-industrial collaboration\u2014encompassing co-production, engineering integration, maintenance logistics, and advanced technology transfer. Most crucially, it makes Indonesia the first foreign customer and operator of the KAAN, T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s flagship indigenous fighter platform.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have signed a significant agreement with Indonesia for the KAAN project,\u201d TAI announced on its official X platform. \u201cThe agreement covers the procurement of 48 KAAN Turkish Fighters along with cooperation in production engineering and technology sharing.\u201d<\/p>\n
This unprecedented procurement not only reshapes Indonesia\u2019s defence posture but also redefines T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s trajectory as a global defence exporter. It is a bold display of Ankara\u2019s commitment to defence self-reliance and its capacity to deliver fifth-generation combat platforms outside traditional Western defence ecosystems.<\/p>\n
T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s\u00a0Defence Industries President Haluk G\u00f6rg\u00fcn, who oversaw the signing ceremony, called the deal a \u201cgeopolitical and industrial milestone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am filled with gratitude to be able to witness this moment together. We are excited, and at the same time, proud,\u201d G\u00f6rg\u00fcn said. \u201cThis is a defining moment for T\u00fcrkiye-Indonesia defence relations.\u201d<\/p>\n
The agreement builds upon a government-to-government memorandum signed earlier in June 2025, laying a firm diplomatic foundation for a 120-month delivery timeline and long-term cooperation.<\/p>\n
Under the terms, the 48 KAAN jets will be powered by Turkish-assembled engines, while Indonesia will host newly constructed production, assembly, and maintenance hubs. This not only bolsters Indonesia\u2019s defence-industrial base but also provides Jakarta with sovereign sustainment capabilities\u2014a key requirement for self-reliant defence operations.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0KAAN<\/strong>, developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), is a direct outcome of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s strategic pivot after being removed from the U.S. F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program in 2019 due to its acquisition of Russian S-400 air defence systems. That exclusion forced T\u00fcrkiye to accelerate its indigenous fighter jet ambitions under the Milli Muharip U\u00e7ak (National Combat Aircraft) initiative.<\/p>\nFirst taking flight in\u00a0February 2024<\/strong>, the KAAN reached an altitude of 8,000 feet and a cruising speed of 230 knots. The maiden flight was heralded across T\u00fcrkiye as a national milestone\u2014a symbol of technological resilience and a significant stride toward aerospace independence.<\/p>\nThe KAAN is designed for multirole operations in contested airspace. Its standout features include:<\/p>\n
\n- \n
Stealth shaping and radar-absorbing materials<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Internal weapons bays for reduced radar cross-section<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Advanced data fusion and AI-assisted sensor systems<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Networked warfare capabilities<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
- \n
Superior maneuverability and survivability<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
While the current versions use imported engines and components like ejection seats, nearly 90% of its subsystems are domestically developed\u2014a figure expected to increase as T\u00fcrkiye pushes toward complete self-reliance.<\/p>\n
TAI aims to scale production to\u00a0two aircraft per month by 2029<\/strong>, projecting annual revenues of\u00a0$2.4 billion (RM11.2 billion)<\/strong>\u00a0from KAAN-related sales. Full-rate mass production is set for\u00a02028<\/strong>, with 20 Block-10 fighters earmarked for delivery to the Turkish Air Force that same year.<\/p>\nIndonesia\u2019s selection of the KAAN represents a bold recalibration of its military trajectory. With the region\u2019s evolving threat landscape\u2014marked by escalating tensions in the\u00a0South China Sea<\/strong>, assertive Chinese naval activities, and hybrid threats\u2014Jakarta has accelerated efforts to build a cutting-edge, diversified air force.<\/p>\nThe KAAN will significantly augment Indonesia\u2019s capability to operate in contested airspace and conduct both deterrence and high-intensity operations. It will complement Jakarta\u2019s existing fighter programs, most notably:<\/p>\n
\n- \n
42 Rafale fighters<\/strong>\u00a0from France (ordered in 2022\u20132024, worth $8.1 billion)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
Upgrades to existing\u00a0F-16C\/D Block 52<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Su-27\/30 Flanker<\/strong>\u00a0platforms<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
Development of a domestic aircraft industry through partnerships and offsets<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The KAAN deal will serve as the bedrock for Indonesia\u2019s future aerospace programs, potentially enabling the co-development of future upgrades and next-generation variants.<\/p>\n
Indonesia\u2019s entry into the fifth-generation club will not go unnoticed in Southeast Asia. For regional peers such as\u00a0Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam<\/strong>, Jakarta\u2019s leap represents both a challenge and an opportunity. These nations may now re-evaluate their own air force modernization programs, considering new-generation alternatives amid increasing concerns about Beijing\u2019s regional ambitions.<\/p>\nThis deal also positions T\u00fcrkiye as an emerging player in the Indo-Pacific\u2019s security architecture\u2014a role traditionally occupied by the U.S., France, and Russia. It illustrates how medium powers can collaborate to bypass traditional arms pipelines while maintaining high-end capability standards.<\/p>\n
In a signal of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s expanding strategic ambitions, a\u00a0navalized version of the KAAN<\/strong>\u00a0is also under study. The proposed carrier-based variant would operate from T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s future aircraft carrier,\u00a0MUGEM (Milli U\u00e7ak Gemisi)<\/strong>, which is currently in early development.<\/p>\n\u201cIf the carrier-based variant of KAAN is developed, we are coordinating with Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) to ensure full compatibility for takeoff and landing operations,\u201d said\u00a0Albay Ucar<\/strong>, Director of the Turkish Naval Design Project Office.<\/p>\nThis variant could replicate the multi-domain capabilities of the\u00a0U.S. F-35B\/C<\/strong>\u00a0or China\u2019s\u00a0J-35<\/strong>, enabling T\u00fcrkiye to field fifth-generation fighters across land, air, and sea.<\/p>\nIf offered for export, the navalized KAAN may also find future takers in Southeast Asia, where interest in regional aircraft carrier programs is growing\u2014most notably in\u00a0Thailand and Indonesia<\/strong>.<\/p>\nAt a diplomatic level, the deal symbolizes T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s growing influence as a\u00a0non-aligned defence innovator<\/strong>. By successfully exporting an advanced stealth fighter outside NATO or U.S. control, Ankara has demonstrated that countries can achieve top-tier capability without depending on Western or Chinese ecosystems.<\/p>\nThis achievement dovetails with T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s broader ambitions to create a\u00a0\u201cdefence innovation corridor\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0linking the Middle East, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia\u2014connecting partner nations through joint development and supply chains rather than simple arms sales.<\/p>\nIndonesia, meanwhile, benefits from both\u00a0strategic hedging<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0technological uplift<\/strong>. The KAAN program introduces high-skill jobs, aerospace research opportunities, and long-term industrial capacity-building\u2014aligning with Indonesia\u2019s \u201c100-Year Vision\u201d to become a major technological and military power by 2045.<\/p>\n\n- \n
2025<\/strong>: Deal signed; technology transfer and facilities development to begin<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
2026\u20132028<\/strong>: Initial integration and production systems in Indonesia established<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
2028<\/strong>: Mass production begins in T\u00fcrkiye; first Block-10 units to Turkish Air Force<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
2029\u20132035<\/strong>: Deliveries to Indonesia; local maintenance and training centers operational<\/p>\n<\/li>\n- \n
2032<\/strong>: T\u00fcrkiye expects to field over\u00a0100 KAAN fighters<\/strong>, becoming a major fifth-generation airpower<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n
\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0In a monumental leap for T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s defence industry and Indonesia\u2019s strategic modernization efforts, Turkish Aerospace Industries…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":59415,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[2137,318,7118,595,1508,663,1460,2141,5292,7120,6551,7119],"class_list":["post-59414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia","tag-aerospace","tag-billion","tag-buyer","tag-defense","tag-fighter","tag-foreign","tag-indonesia","tag-kaan","tag-pact","tag-sealing","tag-stealth","tag-turkiyes"],"yoast_head":"\n
Indonesia Becomes First Foreign Buyer of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s KAAN Stealth Fighter, Sealing $10 Billion Aerospace and Defense Pact - Gulf Times | News by the minute<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Gulf Times: Latest news across the GCC from UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/indonesia-becomes-first-foreign-buyer-of-turkiyes-kaan-stealth-fighter\/2025\/07\/27\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Indonesia Becomes First Foreign Buyer of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s KAAN Stealth Fighter, Sealing $10 Billion Aerospace and Defense Pact\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Gulf News| UAE's Largest News aggregator site\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/indonesia-becomes-first-foreign-buyer-of-turkiyes-kaan-stealth-fighter\/2025\/07\/27\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gulf Times | News by the minute\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/100084981843786\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-27T15:36:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Turkiye-KAAN-Stealth-Fighter.avif\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"790\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"474\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"gulftimes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Gulftimesuae\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Gulftimesuae\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"gulftimes\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Indonesia Becomes First Foreign Buyer of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s KAAN Stealth Fighter, Sealing $10 Billion Aerospace and Defense Pact - Gulf Times | News by the minute","description":"Gulf Times: Latest news across the GCC from UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/indonesia-becomes-first-foreign-buyer-of-turkiyes-kaan-stealth-fighter\/2025\/07\/27\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Indonesia Becomes First Foreign Buyer of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s KAAN Stealth Fighter, Sealing $10 Billion Aerospace and Defense Pact","og_description":"Gulf News| UAE's Largest News aggregator site","og_url":"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/indonesia-becomes-first-foreign-buyer-of-turkiyes-kaan-stealth-fighter\/2025\/07\/27\/","og_site_name":"Gulf Times | News by the minute","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/100084981843786","article_published_time":"2025-07-27T15:36:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":790,"height":474,"url":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Turkiye-KAAN-Stealth-Fighter.avif","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"gulftimes","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Gulftimesuae","twitter_site":"@Gulftimesuae","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"gulftimes","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/indonesia-becomes-first-foreign-buyer-of-turkiyes-kaan-stealth-fighter\/2025\/07\/27\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=59414"},"author":{"name":"gulftimes","@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/#\/schema\/person\/4c5b0f90aae48bb43165ee6e39ddc977"},"headline":"Indonesia Becomes First Foreign Buyer of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s KAAN Stealth Fighter, Sealing $10 Billion Aerospace and Defense Pact","datePublished":"2025-07-27T15:36:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=59414"},"wordCount":1126,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/indonesia-becomes-first-foreign-buyer-of-turkiyes-kaan-stealth-fighter\/2025\/07\/27\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Turkiye-KAAN-Stealth-Fighter.avif","keywords":["Aerospace","billion","Buyer","Defense","fighter","foreign","Indonesia","KAAN","Pact","Sealing","Stealth","T\u00fcrkiyes"],"articleSection":["Asia"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/theasialive.com\/indonesia-becomes-first-foreign-buyer-of-turkiyes-kaan-stealth-fighter\/2025\/07\/27\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=59414","url":"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/indonesia-becomes-first-foreign-buyer-of-turkiyes-kaan-stealth-fighter\/2025\/07\/27\/","name":"Indonesia Becomes First Foreign Buyer of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s KAAN Stealth Fighter, Sealing $10 Billion Aerospace and Defense Pact - Gulf Times | News by the minute","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/indonesia-becomes-first-foreign-buyer-of-turkiyes-kaan-stealth-fighter\/2025\/07\/27\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/indonesia-becomes-first-foreign-buyer-of-turkiyes-kaan-stealth-fighter\/2025\/07\/27\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Turkiye-KAAN-Stealth-Fighter.avif","datePublished":"2025-07-27T15:36:00+00:00","description":"Gulf Times: Latest news across the GCC from UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/indonesia-becomes-first-foreign-buyer-of-turkiyes-kaan-stealth-fighter\/2025\/07\/27\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/theasialive.com\/indonesia-becomes-first-foreign-buyer-of-turkiyes-kaan-stealth-fighter\/2025\/07\/27\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/indonesia-becomes-first-foreign-buyer-of-turkiyes-kaan-stealth-fighter\/2025\/07\/27\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Turkiye-KAAN-Stealth-Fighter.avif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Turkiye-KAAN-Stealth-Fighter.avif","width":790,"height":474},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/theasialive.com\/indonesia-becomes-first-foreign-buyer-of-turkiyes-kaan-stealth-fighter\/2025\/07\/27\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Indonesia Becomes First Foreign Buyer of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s KAAN Stealth Fighter, Sealing $10 Billion Aerospace and Defense Pact"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/#website","url":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/","name":"Gulf Times | News by the minute","description":"Largest News Aggregator in the Gulf","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/#organization"},"alternateName":"Gulf News Aggregator","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/#organization","name":"Gulf Times","url":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"","contentUrl":"","caption":"Gulf Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/100084981843786","https:\/\/x.com\/Gulftimesuae"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/#\/schema\/person\/4c5b0f90aae48bb43165ee6e39ddc977","name":"gulftimes","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a8f9c2e07a9cd7e7e7c302c8c7ce8d5e0865a0bbcc732793d6e761588fd10b03?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a8f9c2e07a9cd7e7e7c302c8c7ce8d5e0865a0bbcc732793d6e761588fd10b03?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a8f9c2e07a9cd7e7e7c302c8c7ce8d5e0865a0bbcc732793d6e761588fd10b03?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"gulftimes"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/gulftimes.ae"],"url":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=59414"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59414\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/59415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=59414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=59414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=59414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}