During an official visit to Ankara on April 10, 2025, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto expressed his country’s interest in joining Turkey’s fifth-generation fighter jet program KAAN, emphasizing a strengthened defense partnership with Turkey, particularly in the aerospace and naval sectors, as reported by Bloomberg. The announcement comes amid growing strategic ties between Indonesia and Turkey, as Jakarta actively seeks to modernize its aging air defense capabilities in response to persistent regional threats and the need for greater strategic autonomy.
At a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President Subianto stated that “Indonesia wants to participate in the development of the fifth-generation KAAN fighter jet as well as submarine development with the Turkish industry.” His remarks, reported by Indonesia’s Antara news agency, reflect Jakarta’s ambition to diversify its defense partnerships in an international landscape increasingly shaped by competition among major powers. This intent was further reinforced by the signing of new bilateral agreements in culture, disaster management, and media, adding to thirteen cooperation agreements signed between Ankara and Jakarta in February.