Indonesia could receive its first Chinese J-10 fighters by April 2027.

Indonesia could receive its first Chinese Chengdu J-10 fighter jets within six months, placing their expected arrival in April 2027, although Indonesian Air Force Chief Air Marshal Mohamad Tonny Harjono declined to confirm the delivery date. The prospective acquisition forms part of Indonesia's defense modernization effort to secure its maritime approaches across thousands of islands. This initiative complements existing purchases of Dassault Rafale and Turkish KAAN aircraft while broadening Jakarta's non-aligned military procurement posture.

Indonesia could receive its first Chengdu J-10 fighter jets from China by April 2027, according to Republika, although the Indonesian Air Force has yet to confirm the delivery schedule, aircraft quantity, or variant. (Picture source: Weibo/单手搓核弹)

On October 5, 2026, Indonesian news outlet Republika indicated that Indonesia could receive its first Chinese Chengdu J-10CE fighter jets within six months, placing their expected arrival in April 2027, after Indonesian Air Force Chief Air Marshal Mohamad Tonny Harjono declined to confirm a delivery date. Questioned at the TNI headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, Harjono responded only, "Just wait," without specifying how many fighters would arrive. Indonesia has been considering the acquisition since September 2025, with potential quantities of 12, 24, or 42 aircraft, although neither the final purchase quantity nor the contract value has been confirmed or publicly disclosed. The choice between newly manufactured J-10CE fighters equipped with AESA radar and PL-15E long-range missiles and second-hand J-10Bs also remains unresolved.

If completed, the acquisition would make Indonesia the first Southeast Asian operator of the Chinese fighter and could increase its combined J-10, Rafale, and Kaan procurement pipeline to 132 jets, excluding its continuing participation in South Korea's KF-21 program. Indonesia's J-10 possible procurement became public on September 18, 2025, when Defense Ministry information chief Brigadier General Frega Wenas Inkiriwang confirmed that the Indonesian Air Force was evaluating the Chinese fighter. On October 15, Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin indicated that J-10s would soon operate over Jakarta, following President Prabowo Subianto's September visit to Beijing. Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa subsequently referred to $9 billion in approved defense funding, but could not confirm whether the allocation specifically covered the Chinese aircraft.

Related topic: China delivers first J-10CE fighters to Uzbekistan to challenge Russian influence in Central Asia

By October 31, Sjafrie acknowledged that the acquisition had not been finalized, while Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang had emphasized Beijing's controlled approach to military exports. In May 2026, Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait rejected claims that Indonesia had finalized a 42-aircraft agreement worth $9 billion. Even though the final quantities remain open to debate, if we assume an initial delivery of six aircraft, as was the case for Pakistan and Uzbekistan, it would represent 50% of a 12-aircraft purchase, 25% of a 24-aircraft purchase, or 14.3% of a 42-aircraft purchase, with substantially different implications for squadron formation and pilot conversion. The J-10CE belongs to the latest export generation of Chengdu's single-engine, canard-delta J-10 fighter family, which first flew in 1998 and subsequently evolved through the J-10A, J-10B, and J-10C variants.

The J-10C measures 16.9 m in length, 9.8 m in wingspan, and 5.7 m in height, with a 37 m² wing area and 11 external weapons stations. Published figures include an empty weight of 9,750 kg, a maximum takeoff weight of 19,227 kg, and an internal fuel capacity of 4,950 liters, equivalent to 3,860 kg. Two 1,600-liter external tanks and one 800-liter tank can also increase total fuel capacity to 8,950 liters, although carrying three external tanks changes aerodynamic drag. Later Chinese configurations use the WS-10B afterburning turbofan engine, with quoted thrust of 89.17 kN without afterburner and 144 kN with afterburner, whereas earlier aircraft employed Russian AL-31FNs. The aircraft's published maximum speed is Mach 1.8, with an 18,000 m service ceiling, 300 m/s maximum climb rate, and +9/-3 g maneuvering limits.

For Indonesia, the distinction between the J-10C's 1,850 km flight range and 4,600 km ferry range matters because a fighter deployed from Sulawesi toward distant maritime approaches must retain sufficient fuel for interception, combat maneuvering, and recovery, rather than merely reaching the designated patrol area. The most consequential difference between the J-10B and J-10CE is the combination of sensors, missile compatibility, and remaining service life. The J-10B employs a passive electronically scanned array radar, an infrared search-and-track sensor, a diverterless supersonic inlet, and an earlier avionics architecture, while the J-10CE introduces an AESA radar and compatibility with the PL-15E beyond-visual-range missile, with claimed radar detection distances for the J-10C of 220 to 250 km against a 3 m² target, tracking of 30 targets, and simultaneous engagement of six.

The PL-15E missile, for its part, combines active radar guidance with midcourse datalink updates, with a 145 km maximum range displayed at Zhuhai in 2021 and a separate Chinese claim exceeding 200 km in January 2026, without establishing equivalent effective engagement distances. The broader J-10 family could also carry PL-10 short-range missiles, KD-88 air-to-surface missiles, YJ-91 anti-radiation missiles, and YJ-83K anti-ship missiles. Indonesia has confirmed neither PL-15E quantities nor the weapons package, making the difference between new J-10CEs and refurbished J-10Bs central to assessing its future air combat capabilities. Pakistan's J-10CE fleet could provide a comparison for delivery rates and combat employment. Islamabad announced an initial acquisition of 25 aircraft in December 2021, with an option for 11 additional fighters, subsequently bringing the program to 36 units.

The first six J-10CEs arrived at PAF Base Minhas on March 4, 2022, while deliveries had reached 20 aircraft by May 2025, equivalent to 55.6% of the planned fleet. During the May 7, 2025, India-Pakistan air engagements, several Pakistani J-10CEs armed with PL-15E missiles participated in long-range air combat against Indian fighters. Pakistan claimed five Indian aircraft losses, including three Rafales, one Su-30MKI, and one MiG-29, while two U.S. officials assessed that at least two Indian aircraft had been shot down, including a Rafale. Pakistani officials placed one engagement at 200 km, although the distance between opposing aircraft does not independently establish the missile launch distance or interception geometry. The combat also demonstrated the relevance of coordinated fighter radar, airborne surveillance, datalinks, and PL-15-series missiles, without establishing that the J-10CE would achieve identical results against different aircraft, defensive systems, or operating conditions. 

The financial difference between acquiring new J-10CEs and refurbished J-10Bs is also substantial. Using indicative J-10C prices of $40 million to $50 million, 12 aircraft would cost between $480 million and $600 million, 24 would cost $960 million to $1.2 billion, and 42 would cost $1.68 billion to $2.10 billion before accounting for weapons, simulators, spare engines, maintenance equipment, and infrastructure. The $9 billion defense funding figure discussed by Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa in October 2025 would equal $214.3 million per aircraft if assigned entirely to 42 J-10s; however, Purbaya could not establish that the full amount concerned the fighter acquisition, and the Defense Ministry subsequently rejected claims of a finalized $9 billion agreement covering 42 J-10CEs.

A separate financing arrangement allocated up to $3.1 billion to Indonesia in foreign loans for three Chinese defense acquisitions, comprising up to $1.6 billion for J-10B fighters, $1 billion for CM-302 coastal anti-ship missiles, and a remaining $500 million allocation associated with Type 22 fast attack craft. China's manufacturing capacity introduces another uncertainty for newly built aircraft, as AVIC Chengdu's simultaneous J-20 production prevents establishing the number of J-10CEs available for Indonesian delivery in early 2027. The distribution of the prospective J-10 fleet would be particularly important because Indonesia's air defense responsibilities extend across an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands and widely separated maritime approaches.

Meetings on October 20 and 28, 2025, examined the expansion of Haluoleo Air Base in Southeast Sulawesi and Sultan Hasanuddin Air Base in South Sulawesi, including runways, hangars, quick reaction alert facilities, radars, and command-and-control equipment. Haluoleo plans also included land development in Bombana and a new squadron, although J-10 imagery appeared during the October 2025 planning process without confirming an eventual basing assignment. A 42-aircraft inventory could mathematically support three 14-aircraft units or two 21-aircraft units; at 70% mission-capable availability, fleets of 12, 24, and 42 aircraft would provide eight, 17, and 29 available fighters. For Indonesia's dispersed maritime approaches, the operational difference would depend on how many aircraft can sustain two-fighter interception alerts at separate bases while retaining sufficient pilots, missiles, fuel, and maintenance reserves.

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Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.