Defence Ministry to Purchase KAAN Fighter Jets via Foreign Loan Scheme

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Defence (Kemenhan) has assured that it is proceeding with the purchase of KAAN fighter jets from Turkish Aerospace Industries using a foreign loan scheme. This statement responds to reports that Indonesia is acquiring these fifth-generation fighter aircraft from Turkey. “For the KAAN, there is already an initial contract for a limited quantity, which is currently in the activation process through the foreign loan mechanism (PLN) together with the Ministry of Finance,” said the Head of the Defence Information Bureau (Karo Infohan) of the Ministry of Defence’s General Secretariat, Brigadier General TNI Rico Ricardo Sirait, when confirmed by ANTARA in Jakarta on Thursday. This also confirms that Indonesia has officially signed an initial contract for the planned purchase of the KAAN fighter jets. According to circulating information, Indonesia will purchase 48 units of the KAAN jet fighters, reportedly to begin delivery in 2032. When asked about the matter, Rico was not yet able to provide detailed explanations. He also did not specify the budget allocated for purchasing the fighter jets. “The procurement will be carried out in stages according to budget readiness and TNI needs,” he concluded. Information is circulating that Indonesia has agreed to purchase 48 KAAN fighter jets. This information was posted by the Instagram account dedicated to defence information @isds.indonesia. The Instagram post explains that the fighter jet purchase contract was signed by the Ministry of Defence and Turkish Aerospace Industries at the IDEF exhibition in Istanbul in mid-2025. The account states that the contract value for the fighter jets is $15 billion or Rp251 trillion.