PUBLISHED on August 13, 2025, 8:27 AM EDT – Key Points and Summary – Indonesia is considering an offer from Beijing to purchase the J-10C fighter jet, a move that could make it only the second export customer for the Chinese aircraft.
-The J-10C’s appeal has been significantly boosted by its recent combat success, where a Pakistani model reportedly shot down an Indian Rafale—the same advanced jet Indonesia is currently purchasing from France.
-While the cheaper J-10C presents a compelling option for Jakarta’s air force modernization, acquiring it would create significant interoperability challenges with its existing Western and Russian hardware and complicate its geopolitical standing in the South China Sea.
Despite Risks, Indonesia Weighs J-10C Purchase After Reported Rafale Kill
Indonesia could become the only country outside China and Pakistan to operate the Chinese-made J-10C fighter jet, after Jakarta confirmed in June it had received a sales offer from Beijing. Deputy Defense Minister Donny Ermawan Taufanto said the proposal followed a recent visit by Indonesian Air Force officials to China, during which pilots were invited to train on the aircraft and tour its production facility in Chengdu.
Priced at around $40 million each, the J-10C is a significantly cheaper alternative to Indonesia’s existing procurement of French-made Dassault Rafale fighters, which cost more than $120 million each. Jakarta purchased 42 of the French aircraft in 2022 in a deal worth $8.1 billion, with the first six jets expected to be delivered in 2026. The Rafale aircraft is classed as a 4.5-generation fighter and, in its latest variant, it features advanced radars and improved stealth.
Indonesia has been working to modernize its air force and diversify its suppliers in recent years, and is currently operating equipment sourced from a wide range of countries.
Its current fleet includes American-made F-16s, Russian Su-27s and Su-30s, Brazilian EMB-314 Super Tucanos, and British BAE Hawk 200s.
Plans to acquire 48 KAAN fifth-generation fighters from Turkey have also been confirmed.
It Won’t Be Easy…
Any deal with China could, therefore, present interoperability challenges with Indonesia’s current equipment – particularly those from NATO countries. It might also complicate Jakarta’s position in regional security matters, including Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea that overlap with Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone.
But the J-10C’s recent combat record makes it a compelling option – particularly in the wake of a story about how the Chinese fighter, operated by Pakistan, successfully downed at least one Indian Air Force Rafale using a PL-15 air-to-air missile.
J-10C Downs Indian Rafale
The J-10C’s reputation abroad as an export fighter received a substantial boost following a major air battle on May 7, 2025, between India and Pakistan – the largest aerial clash between the two nations in decades. According to a detailed account by Reuters, a Pakistan Air Force J-10C shot down at least one Indian Rafale using a Chinese-made PL-15 missile fired from roughly 200 km, which was well beyond the range Indian planners had anticipated.
The engagement relied, according to Pakistani officials, on a domestically-produced “Data Link 17” network that connects air, land, and space sensors.
The technology allowed radar feeds from a standoff surveillance platform – an aircraft, drone, or other platform that stays outside the range of enemy weapons while conducting reconnaissance – to be shared with forward-deployed J-10Cs.
The strategy enabled fighters to keep their own radars off while still firing at targets at long range – and marked one of the longest documented beyond-visual-strikes to date.
The incident was of particular interest to Jakarta because Indonesia is currently in the process of introducing the Dassault Rafale into service as part of an effort to replace its ageing F-16s and Su-27/30 Flankers.
For Indonesia, the J-10C’s reported success against a peer-class aircraft it is preparing to field may justify further broadening and diversifying its fighter fleet, even if it means accepting the risks of a more complex and less interoperable arsenal.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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