Indonesia Doubles Orders For Chinese J-10C Fighters to Accelerate Air Force Modernisation

Defence affairs - Def-Geopolitics

Indonesian sources have widely reported that the country’s defence ministry has doubled orders for J-10C fighter aircraft, with Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamseoddin having emphasised that this is part of a broader modernisation plan.

Local sources have emphasised that the aircraft are expected to provide an advanced capability to counter the fifth generation fighters fielded by regional powers, with J-10Cs in Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force service having demonstrated the capability to effectively engage fifth generation aircraft during exercises in the past. Minister Sjamseoddin first confirmed the planned procurement of J-10C fighters on October 16, 2025, marking the first major breakthrough for Chinese fighter exports into Southeast Asia. Indonesia is the second client for the J-10C after Pakistan, although unconfirmed reports indicate that Egypt may have also placed orders, while Sudan was reported to have been the first client for the aircraft before the overthrow of its government in a Western-backed coup in 2019.

The prestige of the Chinese combat aviation sector has grown considerably over the past decade, particularly after the country became the second in the world to bring an indigenous fifth generation fighter into service in 2017 with the operationalisation of the J-20, and moreso after it became the first to unveil a sixth generation fighter at flight prototype stages in December 2024. China is currently positioned to lead the world by a decade in bringing sixth generation fighters into service, with the prestige of its fighter aviation industry, and foreign demand for its combat jets, both expected to continue to grow. Nevertheless, intensive Western political pressure on potential clients across the world has remained a major factor preventing greater exports, with Indonesia itself having abandoned plans to procure Russian Su-35 fighters specifically due to threats of U.S. sanctions. Jakarta has taken significant steps since the beginning of the decade to ‘sanctions proof’ its economy, including ending reliance on Western payments systems.

The J-10 is a lightweight single engine fighter developed to serve as a counterpart to the heavyweight twin engine J-11 and J-16 as part of a high-low combination. The J-10C is an advanced ‘4+ generation’ variant that has been enhanced with a wide range of technologies developed for the J-20 fifth generation fighter program, including advanced composite materials, an active electronically scanned array radar, and PL-10 and PL-15 air-to-air missiles. The fighter type was reported by multiple sources to have achieved overwhelming victories in Pakistani hands in May 2025 against Indian Air Force Rafale fighters, marking the type’s first high intensity combat test. During Zilzal-II exercises held in Qatar in January 2024, J-10C fighters operated by the Pakistan Air Force won overwhelming victories in simulated air-to-air engagements against Qatar Emiri Air Force Eurofighters, confirming both their advanced capabilities, and the wide ranging issues which European fighter programs have had competing with their more advanced U.S. and Chinese rivals.