Indonesia in talks with China on J-10 fighter jets

JAKARTA: Indonesia is weighing buying China’s J-10 fighter jets, given their relatively cheaper price and advanced capability, as it also considers finalising a purchase of U.S.-made F-15EX jets, a senior official said.

Southeast Asia’s most populous country has in recent years embarked on efforts to modernise its ageing military hardware. In 2022 it bought 42 French Rafale jets worth $8.1 billion, six of which will be delivered next year.

“We have had talks with China and they offered us a lot, not just J-10, but also ships, arms, frigates,” said Deputy Defence Minister and retired Air Marshal Donny Ermawan Taufanto.

“We’re evaluating J-10,” Taufanto said, adding that Jakarta was reviewing system compatibility and after-sales support as well as pricing.

A potential purchase has been considered for over a year, before the recent conflict between India and Pakistan, but Taufanto said Indonesia would factor in reports that a Pakistani J-10 plane shot down multiple Indian jets last month.

Jakarta also continues to consider whether to proceed with the next step for its purchase of F-15EX fighters, he said, following the defence ministry’s deal with planemaker Boeing for the sale in 2023.

Taufanto said the U.S. jets’ capabilities were well recorded, but suggested the offered price of $8 billion for 24 planes remained in question.

French President Emmanuel Macron said after meeting Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta last week that they had signed a preliminary defence pact that could lead to new orders of French hardware including Rafale jets.

“We’re considering (France’s) offer. We’re considering our own budget, we’re evaluating, especially given we have other options like J-10, F-15,” Taufanto said.

Earlier, a recent report in the American magazine The National Interest highlights growing tensions between India and France over the performance of Dassault Rafale fighter jets during the India-Pakistan conflict.

According to the report, the Indian government is reportedly dissatisfied with the jet’s combat performance, while France attributes any issues to pilot error rather than flaws in the aircraft’s design.

Titled “India and France Are At Each Other’s Throats Over the Dassault Rafale Fighter,” the report claims that Paris is pushing back against New Delhi’s criticism, suggesting that shortcomings were due to maintenance issues and pilot mistakes rather than deficiencies in France’s most advanced fighter jet.