Türkiye to export 48 Kaan fighter jets to Indonesia in ‘record’ deal

Türkiye has reached an agreement to export Kaan fighter jets to Indonesia, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced on Wednesday, a deal that will make the Southeast Asian nation the first buyer of its homegrown aircraft.

“Under the agreement signed with our friendly and brotherly nation, Indonesia, 48 Kaan jets will be produced in Türkiye and exported to Indonesia,” Erdoğan said.

“Indonesia’s local capabilities will also be utilized in the production of Kaan,” he wrote on the social media platform X.

The Turkish leader didn’t elaborate or disclose the financial details of what he called a “record” agreement. But the Turkish media said the contract was valued at about $10 billion.

The deal includes the production and delivery of the advanced aircraft to Indonesia over a 10-year period, Anadolu Agency (AA) said.

It also includes a technology transfer to Indonesia, public broadcaster TRT Haber reported.

Kaan is a fifth-generation warplane that Türkiye has worked on for almost a decade. The jet was first publicly unveiled in 2023 before it performed its maiden test flight in early 2024.

Its serial production is expected to begin in 2028.

Achievements of Turkish defense industry

The deal came on the sidelines of the Indo Defence 2025, Asia-Pacific’s largest defense industry expo, in Jakarta.

“This agreement showcases the progress and achievements of our domestic and national defense industry,” Erdoğan said. He also praised Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto for his role in securing the deal.

Erdoğan visited the Southeast Asian country in February as part of his Asia tour, before Subianto visited Ankara in April.

During the visit, Subianto expressed his country’s intention to join Türkiye’s homegrown fighter jet project.

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), the developer of the jet, announced on Wednesday that it had signed an agreement with Indonesian authorities for the production and export of Kaan.

“On our aviation journey spanning over a century, we now take pride in sharing our own fifth-generation fighter jet with friendly nations,” Haluk Görgün, president of Türkiye’s Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), wrote on X.

The agreement, led by TAI as the main contractor and carried out with Indonesia’s defense industry firms, “will stand as one of the most tangible examples of joint production, technology sharing and strategic collaboration,” Görgün said.

Kaan will make Türkiye one of the few countries with the infrastructure and technology to produce a fifth-generation combat aircraft.

Growing defense ties

The deal came amid growing economic and defense ties between Türkiye and Indonesia. Earlier this year, the two countries agreed on the joint development of a Baykar combat drone factory in Indonesia.

Pakistan and Azerbaijan, which also have strong defense ties with Türkiye, are reported to be interested in purchasing Kaan fighters.

Ankara has repeatedly voiced its intention to work together with friendly nations on the project.

Mehmet Demiroğlu, the general manager of TAI, said Türkiye is now becoming a source of trust for its friends and allies.

The rise of Kaan is a testament to Türkiye’s global vision, self-confidence, and engineering prowess, Demiroğlu said.

NATO member Türkiye launched the project to produce a national combat aircraft in 2016. Kaan is sought to replace the Air Forces Command’s aging F-16 fleet, which is planned to be phased out starting in the 2030s.

Kaan will initially be powered by two General Electric F-110 engines, which are also used on fourth-generation Lockheed Martin F-16 jets.

Türkiye aims to use domestically produced engines on the jet in serial production.

The aircraft will be capable of air-to-air combat with new-generation weapons and precision strikes from internal weapon bays at supersonic speed. It will also provide increased combat power with artificial intelligence and neural network support.

Türkiye’s defense sector, including the famous Bayraktar drones, accounts for a significant share of the country’s export revenues.

In 2024, the industry’s export reached a record $7.1 billion, an increase of $1.6 billion compared with 2023.

“We extend our full support to strengthening our defense industry and will continue to do so with determination,” Erdoğan said.

Source: Daily Sabah