Indonesia Close to Finalising Deal For Chinese J-10C Fighters After Combat Successes Against India – Reports

The Indonesian Defence Ministry is working to finalise a deal to procure 42 Chinese J-10 fighter aircraft, as part of a landmark deal that would considerably strengthen defence ties between East Asia’s two largest countries. Air Force Chief Marshall Mohamad Tony Harjono mentioned the possibility of procurements on May 27, which was again raised three days later by Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Ambassador to China Djauhari Oratmangun.&nbsp;A number of sources have reported that the Defence Ministry is interested in procuring second hand fighters, although as the People’s Liberation Army Air Force has yet to retire any of its J-10s from service, this&nbsp;would require the aircraft’s retirement from frontline units.&nbsp;The possibility of China retiring its older J-10A fighters early to provide them to strategically important but cash strapped foreign clients has been <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/a-second-front-against-india-could-china-sell-used-j-10a-b-fourth-generation-fighters-to-pakistan" target="_blank">speculated</a> by analysts <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/could-iran-become-a-major-buyer-of-surplus-chinese-and-russian-fighters-five-jets-that-could-provide-cost-effective-upgrades-to-the-iranian-fleet" target="_blank">in the past</a>, although the recent modernisation of these fighters with enhanced ‘4+ generation’ level avionics based on those of the cutting edge J-10C may lead the PLA Air Force less willing to part with the fighters. With the J-10A fleet having now been modernised, their costs will now likely be considerably higher, although still far cheaper than procuring new J-10C fighters. The possibility also remains that the Indonesian Air Force will acquire modern J-10C fighters second hand, which could allow them to be delivered more quickly after modifications are made, and at a slightly lower cost than procuring newly built aircraft. Procurements of newly built fighters, however, also remains a distinct possibility.&nbsp;<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/06/05/article_6841a3ea3587a8_77220410.jpeg" title="J-10C with External Fuel Tanks Equipped For Air-to-Air Combat">The future of the Indonesian fighter fleet has long been highly uncertain, with the Indonesian Air Force having signed a contract to procure 11 Su-35S fighters in 2018, under a deal which currently <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/a-new-phase-in-indonesia-s-long-effort-to-purchase-russian-su-35-fighters-ambassador-confirms-contract-still-in-effect" target="_blank">remains suspended</a>. The country is also a partner in the South Korean-led <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/secondprotot-skorea-kf21-flight" target="_blank">KF-21 fifth generation fighter program</a>, and in 2022 showed an interest in procuring the American F-15EX, although the latter fighter was expected to be too costly to finance. A plan to procure 12 Mirage 2000-5 fighters retired by the Qatar Emiri Air Force was also terminated. Orders for the J-10 would allow the service to belatedly replace its ageing F-5E/F fighters, which the Su-35 was initially intended to do.&nbsp;The J-10C is currently in production on a larger scale than any other fourth generation fighter in the world, with an estimated 50 being built per year. With the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force expected to continue to reduce its own procurements of the fighters, a large portion of this capacity could be allocated to meeting Indonesian orders. The fighter was previously procured by the Pakistan Air Force in 2021, with the rapid delivery of the aircraft contrasting sharply with the long delivery schedules that clients for most Western fighters have had to contend with. The possibility of expanded orders from Pakistan, and <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/chinese-j10c-vs-russian-mig29m-best-egypt" target="_blank" >orders from new clients</a> such as Egypt, however, could slow deliveries to Indonesia should it procure newly built aircraft.&nbsp;<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/06/05/article_6841a45e244f44_77500521.jpg" title="Indonesian Air Force F-5E">China has emerged as by far Indonesia’s largest trading partner and the greatest partner for its burgeoning tech sector, with relations between the two countries expected to continue to improve in parallel to Jakarta’s efforts to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/indonesia-russia-navies-hold-first-joint-drills-java-sea-2024-11-04/" target="_blank">bolster strategic ties </a>with Russia. Although Beijing and Jakarta have no maritime disputes, however, disputes over fishing rights have at times caused tensions between the two, which may lead to opposition within the largely Western trained armed forces to steps to acquire Chinese fighter aircraft. The J-10C’s capabilities, however, have made it a highly attractive fighter for potential clients across the world, particularly following its <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/pakistani-j10c-shot-down-indian-rafale">major successes </a>in the hands of the Pakistan Air Force in early May, when it was <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/indian-air-force-faces-pr-crisis-240-million-rafale-destroyed">credited with the shootdown</a> of at least one French-supplied Rafale operated by the Indian Air Force. The fact that the fighter not only has lower operational costs and maintenance needs than the Rafale, but also costs under one third as much to procure, and by some estimates closer to one sixth as much, reflects the vast discrepancies in efficiency between the Chinese and French defence sectors.&nbsp;<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/06/05/article_6841a49c240f22_36272611.jpeg" title="Pakistan Air Force J-10C with PL-15 Air-to-Air Missiles and Three External Fuel Tanks">The J-10C has in the past proven capable of outperforming or matching the performances of far larger fighters with twice or more as much engine power and carrying radars twice or more the size. The fighter was reported in 2020 to have <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/china-s-j-10c-reportedly-crushed-the-russian-su-35-in-combat-exercises-how-the-firebird-came-out-on-top" >consistently outperformed</a> Russian-supplied Su-35 fighters during mock combat engagements in China. This reflected the fighter’s many advantages including its lower radar signature, more advanced primary sensor, and integration PL-10 and PL-15 air-to-air missiles which both had very considerable advantages over the Su-35’s respective R-74 and R-77-1 missiles. More surprisingly, the J-10C has repeatedly <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/j-16-vs-j-10c-chinese-pilot-reveals-which-elite-fighter-is-superior" target="_blank">proven capable </a>of going head to head with the J-16 ‘4+ generation’ heavyweight fighter in many air-to-air combat scenarios. While considered less capable than the J-16, which has been produced in parallel and integrates similarly advanced technologies onto a much larger airframe, the J-10C proved capable of prevailing in air-to-air combat on multiple occasions, making it among the most potent pre-fifth generation fighters in service.