After finalizing the acquisition of Turkish KAAN fighter jets on a visit to Turkey, the Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is expected to travel to Russia, where a potential purchase of Su-35 is likely to come up in discussion.
Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Rolliansyah Soemirat, told reporters that Subianto will be visiting Russia from June 18-20 to hold talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
“The bilateral meeting is expected to discuss the development of bilateral cooperation, as well as a discussion between leaders on the regional and global issues that become a common concern,” he stated.
While Indonesia maintains a neutral foreign policy and refuses to take sides in the Ukraine conflict, President Prabowo has pledged stronger ties with Moscow. The importance that Jakarta accords to Russia became evident when Prabowo visited Putin last year before being inaugurated as the new president in October, and called Russia a “great friend.”
As Prabowo Subianto embarks on the trip to Russia, there are speculations that a slew of potential arms purchases would be discussed between the two sides, including a possible purchase of Su-35.
Notably, while major arms imports from Russia have stalled in recent years after Putin seized Crimea in 2014 and launched a full-scale military offensive on Ukraine in 2022, Indonesia has not eliminated discussions on the possible acquisition of Russian Su-35.
The Su-35 deal, initially announced in 2018, entailed Indonesia purchasing 11 Su-35s from Russia for $1.14 billion, with Moscow obligated to accept 50% of the contract value in local commodities, alongside a 35% offset requirement. However, the deal ultimately failed to materialize due to budgetary constraints exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and apprehensions surrounding potential US sanctions.
The enactment of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions (CAATSA) by former US President Donald Trump in 2017 intensified Indonesia’s concerns.
Despite that, Indonesia did not permanently close the lid on a Su-35 purchase.
In May last year, the then-Indonesian Ambassador to Russia, Jose Tavares, stated that the agreement had not been terminated.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ambassador to Indonesia, Sergei Tolchenov, said in January 2025 that the Su-35 fighter jet deal with Jakarta remained “on the table.”
The Russian Su-35 is a formidable combat aircraft that has proven its capability in the ongoing Ukraine war. Derived from the Su-27, it is a single-seat, twin-engine, supermaneuverable multirole fighter jet.
It is often classified as a 4++ generation fighter, with Russians saying that it bridges the gap between fourth- and fifth-generation jets with its enhanced avionics, weapons, and performance capabilities.
Since Indonesia already operates the Su-27 and Su-30, the Russian Su-35 will easily integrate into its air force. Additionally, Russia is likely to offer a flexible payment method to cash-strapped Indonesia.
Nonetheless, these are still mere conjectures with no direct evidence that Indonesia will negotiate a purchase of Su-35.
Indonesia’s quest for advanced fighter jets has been marked by twists and turns, with shifting alliances, procurement plans, and financial hurdles defining the nation’s defense acquisition strategy.
Indonesia On A Shopping Spree
Indonesia inked a deal for the acquisition of 48 KAAN fifth-generation fighter jets on June 11, becoming the first-ever foreign customer of the aircraft. The deal was announced by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the social media site X.
“As part of the agreement signed with our friendly and brotherly country, Indonesia, 48 Kaan (fighter jets) will be produced in Turkey and exported to Indonesia,” Erdogan stated. “Indonesia’s local capabilities will also be utilised in the production of Kaan jets.”
The contract, valued at $10 billion, includes the production and delivery of the KAAN fighter jets to Indonesia over a ten-year period, according to Turkish media. Additionally, the deal includes a technology transfer to Indonesia.
While more specific details about the deal were not disclosed by either side, the addition of KAAN would significantly bolster Indonesia’s combat capability. It is often compared to global fifth-generation bigwigs, such as the US F-35 and Russia’s Su-57.
If the surprise deal for KAAN was not enough, Indonesia also reportedly signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) one day after the KAAN deal.
The move, as per analysts, demonstrates the country’s commitment to the KF-21 project. Jakarta has been a collaborative partner on the South Korean KF-21 supersonic fighter jet since 2015.
Indonesia’s commitment to the program has come under scrutiny on multiple occasions in recent months due to payment delays, with speculation swirling that South Korea might have to complete the project alone or seek another partner to cover the costs. At one point, the two partners hit a snag when Indonesian engineers were accused of stealing classified data related to South Korea’s KF-21 fighter jet.
Against that backdrop, the recently signed agreement signals that Indonesia remains a key participant in the KF-21 production, despite payment delays and internal disputes.
Additionally, Indonesia was recently offered the Chinese J-10CE.
Earlier this month, Indonesian Deputy Defense Minister Donny Ermawan Taufanto confirmed that China offered the J-10C jets to the country when the Indonesian Air Force representatives visited China.
The Minister stated that the government was evaluating whether the aircraft could meet operational requirements and whether it could be integrated with existing Indonesian platforms.
He emphasized that the review is still in its early stages and that Jakarta has not dispatched a team to conduct a technical examination or follow up on the offer.
“This is just an offer,” Taufanto said, indicating that the discussions are currently in a very nascent stage. “We have had talks with China and they offered us a lot, not just J-10, but also ships, arms, frigates,” said Taufanto.
If reports in Chinese state media are anything to go by, Beijing is pushing the aircraft to Jakarta based on Pakistan’s claims that its J-10CE aircraft downed three Indian Rafales in May 2025 combat with India.
Indonesia has been exploring several options to modernize its aging air fleet while also seeking to diversify, to prevent over-reliance on a single source.
The country made its most significant purchase in 2022 when it signed a US$8.1 billion defense deal with France, which included 42 Rafale fighter jets. Indonesia could acquire an additional batch of Rafales from France after Indonesia signed a letter of intent expressing its intention to acquire additional Rafale fighter jets from Dassault Aviation.
In addition to the Rafale, Indonesia also signed a memorandum of understanding with Boeing in 2022 to acquire up to 24 F-15EX fighters. According to recent reports, the government has not abandoned the planned F-15EX purchase, despite ongoing questions about the $8 billion price tag for just two dozen fighter jets.
After purchasing Rafales, signing an agreement for Turkish fighters, and showing commitment to the South Korean fighter program, Indonesia still has three 4.5th-generation fighters on offer.
If Indonesia proceeds with all plans, it could operate a very diverse fleet of American, Russian, French, Korean, Turkish, and Chinese fighter jets.
