 "Pakistan Air Force J-10C fighter jets perform at a rehearsal ahead of Pakistan's national day parade in Islamabad. Used for representational purposes | File image/AFP")
Following the recent standoff between India and Pakistan, China is reportedly pressing Indonesia to buy its J-10 jets, the fighter aircraft used by the Pakistani army.
Indonesian Deputy Defence Minister Donny Ermawan Taufanto revealed Wednesday (June 4) during a presser in Jakarta that Beijing offered to sell its jets to Southeast Asia’s largest economy during a visit by Indonesian air officials to China.
Jakarta’s reservations
However, a Bloomberg report quoted Taufanto as saying that it was “just an offer”, and that Indonesia has not sent any team to China to carry out a technical evaluation or pursue the offer further.
“This is just an offer,” Taufanto said.
He added that the country was not bound by any alliance and will take the decision based on our interests.
“If we find that the jet performs well, meets our criteria, and comes at a good price, why not?” he said, referring to the J-10. “We’re not bound by any alliance, so we can source weapons from any country, including China.”
He added that the government was examining whether the Chinese jets can be integrated into Indonesia’s existing systems and whether they can meet their operational requirements.
Indonesia’s push to reform armed forces
Under new President Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia has prioritised modernisation of the country’s armed forces.
He has pledged to upgrade the country’s air and naval capabilities while keeping Indonesia diplomatically neutral.
While China sees an opportunity for itself here, Jakarta is keeping all windows open in terms of potential partners.
For example, it has already struck a deal to acquire French Rafale aircraft. It’s also exploring deals with other partners in the region and beyond. The country has participated in the development of the KF-21 supersonic jet. In April this year, Subianto expressed his interest in Turkey’s KAAN fifth generation fighter jet programme.
Impact Shorts
View AllAdditionally, Bloomberg earlier reported that the president had directed defence officials to revive previous plans to purchase F-15EX jets from Boeing.
Indonesia doesn’t see China as a credible defence partner when it comes to fighter jets. While Jakarta has purchased munitions and air surveillance systems from China in the past, it has refrained from acquiring high-tech combat craft despite strong economic ties.
China’s J-10 is a single-engine multirole fighter jet which was used by Pakistan in its recent conflict with India. While Islamabad continues to make tall claims regarding the effectiveness of the aircraft, nothing has been verified by international experts so far.
Earlier, China had denied any involvement of its fighter jets in the Indo-Pak hostilities.