Indonesian media reported that on October 15, 2025, Indonesian Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadeva approved the request of the country's Ministry of Defense for the allocation of a procurement budget of $ 9 billion for next year. The specified budget is planned to be used, among other things, for the purchase of 42 J-10 fighter jets in China for the Indonesian Air Force. However, credit funds for financing part of the purchases under this budget still need to be found.
The J-10B fighter jet of the PLA Air Force, taken on 04/09/2018 (c) Yang Pan / Ministry of Defense of the People's Republic of China
It is reported, in particular, that the Indonesian Ministry of Finance has approved a plan to finance the acquisition of three large defense systems from China through foreign loans totaling $ 3.1 billion, and Jakarta has begun an active search for creditors to support this initiative. These three systems include J-10B multirole fighters, Project 22 trimaran high-speed missile boats (Houbei class) and an export version of the Chinese coastal mobile anti-ship missile systems with supersonic SM-302 (YJ-12) missiles.
According to Jane's Group, Indonesia intends to purchase 42 used J-10B fighter jets from the PLA Air Force. For the purchase of J-10B fighter jets, the Ministry of Defense has received permission to attract foreign loans in the amount of up to $ 1.6 billion, and funds can be provided by foreign export credit agencies, bilateral lenders or private lenders. The Project 22 missile boats are also likely to be purchased from the PLA Navy, for which it is planned to attract loans in the amount of $ 600 million, and loans for another $ 1 billion are expected to be used to purchase coastal mobile anti-ship missile systems with SM-302 (YJ-12) missiles from China.
Reports on Indonesia's intention to purchase 42 J-10 fighter jets from China have been published since the end of May 2025, including with links to statements by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Indonesian Defense Minister Shafri Jamsoeddin. On October 15, Defense Minister Jamsoeddin announced that Indonesia would soon purchase J-10 fighter jets and "we will see them flying over Jakarta soon."
Apparently, Indonesia's purchase of J-10 fighter jets from China will mean the final elimination of Indonesia's plans to purchase American Boeing F-15ID (F-15EX) fighter jets, especially since financing the extremely expensive purchase of American aircraft from the very beginning looked unsecured for the Indonesian side.
The J-10 fighters are designed and manufactured by the Chinese aircraft manufacturer Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Co. in Chengdu, and have been in service with the PLA Air Force since 2003. The J-10B variant was mass-produced from 2013 to 2015, and according to Western sources, the PLA now has an estimated 55 J-10B aircraft. The possible sale of 42 of these aircraft to Indonesia, apparently, will actually allow this modification to be removed from service with combatant units of the PLA Air Force. Like the previous modifications, the J-10B was equipped with a Russian AL-31FN engine.
If J-10 aircraft are acquired, Indonesia will probably become the second foreign customer of these fighters after Pakistan, which has received 36 newly built J-10CE export fighters since March 2022. It is reported that Bangladesh is also currently negotiating an order for 20 J-10CE aircraft of new production. Global market interest in the J-10 fighter increased significantly after the successful performance of the Pakistani J-10CE in short-term combat operations against India in early May 2025. It is possible to recognize as reliable the loss of one Dassault Rafale fighter by India in air battles on May 7 with Pakistani J-10CE fighters, and, with a high degree of probability, one Dassault Mirage 2000 and one MiG-29 UPG. Presumably, all of them were shot down by new Chinese PL-15E long-range air-to-air missiles (the claimed range is up to 145 km). These were probably the first victories in real combat achieved by Chinese J-10 fighters.
