Turkey Signs KAAN Fighter Jet Export Deal with Indonesia

Post by : Bianca Suleiman

Photo: Reuters

Turkey has signed its first export deal for its home-built KAAN fighter jets with Indonesia. The deal marks a major achievement for Turkey’s defense industry. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the agreement during the Indo-Defence 2025 exhibition in Jakarta. Under the deal, 48 KAAN jets will be delivered to Indonesia by 2028. The jets will be built in Turkey, but Indonesian defense experts will also take part in the production process.

The KAAN jet completed its first flight in 2024. This agreement also allows Indonesia to include its local defense knowledge in the making of the jets. Erdogan said this deal proves the success of Turkey’s national defense efforts and praised Indonesia’s role in making it happen.

Earlier, Turkey and Indonesia had also agreed to build a drone factory together with the help of Turkish drone company Baykar. Countries like Pakistan and Azerbaijan have shown interest in buying KAAN jets too.

However, this defense deal comes at a time when Turkey’s growing relationship with Pakistan is drawing attention. After India launched airstrikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Turkey openly supported Pakistan. This angered many in India. As a result, social media saw strong calls to boycott Turkish products, and some Indian institutions ended contracts with Turkish companies.

While the KAAN deal shows Turkey’s ambitions to become a global arms exporter, its close military friendship with Pakistan continues to cause concern in India.