Traces of Republikorp Behind the Intimacy of Indonesian and Turkish Defence Equipment

Relations between Indonesia and Turkey in the defence sector are growing ever closer. In recent years, cooperation between the two countries has expanded, ranging from armoured vehicles and unmanned systems to the development of the domestic defence industry.

One of the latest collaborations is evident in the development of the Bayraktar KIZILELMA, an unmanned combat aircraft (UCAV) produced by Baykar, a Turkish defence and aerospace company.

In this cooperation, the key Indonesian company is Republikorp Group. This defence-focused firm has increasingly appeared in several strategic defence equipment collaborations, especially since the era of President Prabowo Subianto serving as Minister of Defence from 2019 to 2024.

The KIZILELMA cooperation is between Baykar and PT Republik Aero Dirgantara, a subsidiary of Republikorp Group. According to the official Republikorp website, this cooperation is a continuation of the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) that began in 2025 for the local production of Bayraktar TB3 and AKINCI in Indonesia.

With this latest cooperation, the Baykar and Republikorp partnership is expanded to the development of a new-generation UCAV through the Bayraktar KIZILELMA. The operational development of KIZILELMA is targeted to strengthen Indonesia’s unmanned combat aircraft capabilities starting from 2028.

This cooperation not only covers the procurement of aircraft. Collaboration with Baykar also includes technology transfer, human resource development, MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) facilities, local production and integration centres, expert certification, and future strategic technology research.

Flashback to Indonesia-Turkey Military Cooperation

Defence cooperation between Indonesia and Turkey has been ongoing for more than a decade. One of the earlier collaborations is seen in the development of a medium-sized tank.

This cooperation began to be pioneered around 2010, when Indonesia and Turkey explored defence industry cooperation. The project involved PT Pindad representing Indonesia and FNSS Defence Systems from Turkey.

The realisation of this armoured vehicle development became more concrete in 2014. From this cooperation, the Harimau medium tank was born, also known as the Kaplan MT.

Harimau is a medium-class tank developed for the Indonesian Army (TNI AD). This tank is lighter in weight than a main battle tank but still equipped with combat capabilities to support land operations.

For illustration, Indonesia’s current main battle tank is the German-made Leopard 2. The Leopard 2 falls into the category of a main battle tank with a heavier weight than a medium tank like Harimau.

Meanwhile, Harimau is designed as a combat vehicle with more flexible mobility. This tank can be used in various terrains, including areas with more limited infrastructure conditions.

Since the start of the Harimau tank development cooperation, relations between Indonesia and Turkey in the defence sector have become increasingly intense. The intensity of this cooperation has become more evident during the tenure of the Ministry of Defence led by Prabowo.

Turkey appears to be one of the prominent partners in Indonesia’s defence equipment modernisation agenda. One reason is that cooperation with Turkey is often linked to technology transfer schemes and local production.

Republikorp Enters Many Strategic Projects

Amid the increasingly intense defence cooperation between Indonesia and Turkey, the name Republikorp has begun to appear more frequently. This national private company is involved in several strategic cooperations, particularly related to defence equipment development, local production, technology transfer, and the construction of supporting facilities domestically.

According to the official Republikorp website, there are at least several major cooperations involving the company from 2025 to 2026. The scope is broad, ranging from fighter jets, missiles, intelligence systems, armoured vehicles, patrol boats, ammunition, to the modernisation of TNI defence systems.

Turkey is one of the most prominent countries in this cooperation. However, Republikorp’s traces do not stop there. The company also partners with major defence companies from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in projects worth billions of US dollars.

Interestingly, Republikorp is not a private company that has long been widely known as a major weapons producer in Indonesia. In the national defence industry, several private companies such as PT Sentra Surya Ekajaya, PT Sari Bahari, PT Infoglobal Teknologi Semesta, PT Palindo Marine, PT Lundin Industry Invest, and PT Famatex have been known earlier as part of the domestic ecosystem of defence and security equipment producers (alpalhankam).

They have capabilities in their respective fields, ranging from tactical vehicles, munitions, training bombs, defence electronic systems, military ships, patrol boats, to other defence support equipment.

However, in a relatively short time, Republikorp has become involved in several large-scale strategic defence cooperations. A big question arises: what capacity has made Republikorp gain such significant trust from the government, particularly the Ministry of Defence.

This question is important because defence projects are not ordinary projects. They involve aspects of national security, technology transfer, use of state resources, and big promises regarding defence industry independence.

Here are several major projects involving Republikorp in defence industry cooperation with several countries.

Turkey: From KAAN Fighter Jets, Missiles, to Intelligence Systems

In cooperation with Turkey, Republikorp has been involved in several strategic projects since early 2025. In February, Baykar Makina and PT Republikorp signed a JVA witnessed directly by President Prabowo Subianto and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

This cooperation is directed to