The agreement has been signed. On June 11, at the Jakarta International Military Police and Defense Exhibition, Indonesia purchased 48 KAAN “Khan” fifth-generation fighters from Turkey. The contract amounts to a staggering $10 billion, with a project timeline of 10 years for delivery. This marks the first international export order for the KAAN “Khan” and is one of the largest defense transactions in Turkey’s history. This also means that the previously favored J-10C is clearly out of the running and will not be joining the Indonesian Air Force.
Scheduled for its first flight in February 2024, the Turkish KAAN “Khan” is still under development, and its progress is even slower than that of the South Korean KF-21. Moreover, the core subsystems rely on American and European technology, such as the engine, which is manufactured in the United States, making it impossible to guarantee a smooth supply given the current state of U.S.-Turkey relations. In this context, it is surprising that Indonesia is willing to spend over $10 billion to purchase a fighter model that Turkey itself has not yet equipped, demonstrating remarkable boldness. Of course, Indonesia is not naive; the agreement stipulates that it must be equipped with a domestically developed Turkish engine to avoid future dependency.
However, high risk means high reward. Indonesia’s aerospace industry lacks the capability to independently develop advanced fighter jets, and during the procurement process,
First flight of the KAAN “Khan” fighter jet
KF-21 fighter jet (note the Indonesian flag on the nose)
The KAAN “Khan” stealth fighter, although claimed to be independently developed by Turkey, is essentially a patchwork of components from various countries. The core power issue remains unresolved; the prototype uses the F110-GE-129 engine, with a single thrust of 13.15 tons. Due to concerns over U.S. supply interruptions, there are plans to switch to the domestically produced TF35000 engine, designed for a thrust of about 28-29 tons, or to obtain the WS-10 engine through Pakistan. However, this is merely Turkey’s wishful thinking, as the likelihood of us selling the WS-10 is very low, especially to NATO countries.
It is equipped with the domestically developed MURAD active phased array radar, with a detection range exceeding 100 kilometers, but given Turkey’s industrial capabilities, producing TR components is already challenging, and whether it can succeed remains uncertain. The flight control system uses aerodynamic designs, flight control software, and wind tunnel testing support provided by BAE from the UK, but the British themselves are purchasing American F-35s; if they had this level of capability, they could already produce stealth fifth-generation fighters. The missiles currently include U.S.-made AIM-120 and AIM-9 series, with plans to replace them in the future with domestically produced “Falcon” infrared-guided air-to-air missiles and “Merlin” radar-guided air-to-air missiles.
KAAN “Khan” stealth fighter
Engine ground afterburner test
Cockpit layout
It is evident that the KAAN “Khan” prototype is a collection of international components. The reason for not using domestic parts all at once can only indicate one thing: the domestic technology is not mature. However, compared to the semi-buried weapon bay of the KF-21, the KAAN’s internal weapon bay is closer to that of a fifth-generation fighter, though its maturity is lower, including stealth performance, engine, and subsystem integration, which have not been fully validated. Therefore, the delivery within 10 years is questionable. If the U.S. imposes a technology blockade on Turkey, the UK will certainly follow suit, putting the KAAN project at risk of cancellation.
Yet, in this context, Turkey can still target markets in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, competing with the South Korean KF-21, Chinese FC-31, and Russian Su-75 for market share. Moreover, Indonesia has become the first user, with countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia also expressing interest in cooperation. This indicates that international arms sales have never been related to combat experience; the key factors are still the camp affiliation and various other considerations. Turkey is, after all, a NATO country, and Indonesia can indirectly obtain Western technology through the procurement of fighter jets, but with the Indonesian Air Force equipped with a mix of American, Russian, and French equipment, future logistical support will not be easier than that of India.
KAAN “Khan” fighter jet
Indonesian Air Force’s diverse equipment