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By News Centre

The National Combat Aircraft KAAN is crossing borders. Forty-eight KAANs will be exported to Indonesia over the next 10 years. President Tayyip Erdoğan announced that 48 National Combat Aircraft KAANs, which will be produced in Türkiye within the framework of the agreement signed with Indonesia, will be exported to Indonesia.

Stating that he wanted to share a very important and positive development regarding the National Combat Aircraft KAAN, Erdoğan said: “Within the framework of the agreement we signed with our friend and brother Indonesia, 48 KAANs will be produced in Türkiye and exported to Indonesia. Indonesia’s local capabilities will also be utilized in the production of KAAN.”

Hoping that this agreement, which reveals the progress and point reached by Türkiye's domestic and national defense industry, will be beneficial for Türkiye and Indonesia, Erdoğan said: “I extend my greetings and thanks to my esteemed counterpart, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who played a major role in the signing of the agreement through the will he displayed.”

“I congratulate all our organizations, especially our Presidency of Defense Industries and TUSAŞ, who contributed to the production of KAAN and the signing of this record export contract in Türkiye’s history. I wish continued success to all our companies that we have supported in every way for the further strengthening of our defense industry, and will continue to support with determination, and I express my gratitude to all my brothers working in the defense industry.”

The deal, worth over $10 billion, is Türkiye’s largest single-item defense product export. With KAAN’s export to Indonesia, this sale will elevate Türkiye to the ranks of the few countries capable of exporting a 5th-generation fighter jet, while generating an economic gain of tens of billions of dollars. At the same time, a critical threshold will be crossed in terms of the KAAN project’s sustainability and reducing mass production costs.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Presidential Defense Industries Director Haluk Görgün, Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, TUSAŞ Board Chairman Ömer Cihad Vardan, Deputy Minister of National Defense and TUSAŞ Board Deputy Chairman Şuay Alpay, and TUSAŞ General Manager Mehmet Demiroğlu attended the signing ceremony held in Jakarta. Under the agreement, the delivery of 48 National Combat Aircraft KAANs will be completed within 120 months.

The KAAN aircraft to be delivered will feature an engine produced using national resources. In addition to the delivery of KAANs, the agreement will also include the transfer of aviation technology to Indonesia. It will further aim to share information and develop local capabilities through the strategic cooperation to be carried out by Türkiye and Indonesia. Moreover, Indonesia’s local capabilities will be utilized in KAAN’s production.

Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat and Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır evaluated KAAN's export. Bolat emphasized their pride in this historic order and noted: “While this agreement highlights the peak our high-tech defense industry has reached in exports, it will also bring about an exemplary joint production model that combines the capabilities of both countries.”

Minister Kacır also made the following statement: “Here is the Turkish Century. Having developed its own 5th-generation fighter jet, the great and powerful Türkiye is now signing agreements to export fighter jets to friendly and brotherly countries. May the project of producing 48 KAANs in Türkiye and exporting them to Indonesia, which was realized in line with the will of our esteemed presidents, be beneficial for our countries.”

Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) President Haluk Görgün, in a post on X regarding the matter, said: “In our aviation journey spanning over a century, we are now experiencing the pride of sharing our own 5th-generation fighter jet with friendly countries. Under the leadership of our President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, our national technology initiative is going beyond borders, and the signature of Turkish engineering is now shaping the global security architecture. This project will be one of the most concrete examples of joint production, technology sharing, and strategic cooperation.”

The National Combat Aircraft KAAN, of which TAI is the main developer, is expected to replace the F-16s, which are planned to be gradually phased out of the Turkish Air Force Command’s inventory starting from the 2030s. The KAAN Development Project Contract was signed with the SSB on August 5, 2016. KAAN, a 5th-generation multi-role combat aircraft, provides superior capabilities for both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. Following the completion of production and assembly activities for the first prototype, KAAN began ground tests. After completing the test phase, it performed its first flight on February 21, 2024, remaining in the air for 13 minutes. During this flight, KAAN reached an altitude of 8,000 feet and a speed of 230 knots. KAAN performed its second test flight on May 6, 2024, remaining airborne for 14 minutes, reaching an altitude of 10,000 feet and a speed of 230 knots.

A second contract has been signed between ROKETSAN and Indonesia’s PT RDI for the supply of the ATMACA Anti-Ship Missile and Weapon System. Significant collaborations were achieved at Indo Defence 2025, one of the largest defense industry fairs in Southeast Asia, held in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. This second contract, covering the supply of the ATMACA Anti-Ship Missile and Weapon System, was signed between Roketsan and PT Republik Defence Indonesia (RDI). The agreement falls within the scope of a Joint Venture Agreement (JVA). This initiative aims to develop local capabilities in Indonesia for the assembly, domestic production, and sustainability of missile technologies. With this contract, ROKETSAN has expanded its contribution to the modernization of Indonesia’s naval force.