Turkey and Indonesia sign agreement for the sale of 48 KAAN fighters
The governments of Turkey and Indonesia signed in Ankara, the Turkish capital, a commercial and industrial agreement for the production and sale of 48 KAAN fighters to the Asian country, the first export customer for the stealth aircraft.
Previously announced by Recep Ergogan, President of Turkey, at the last Indo Defense Expo & Forum, held in Jakarta, the deal has now been finalized in a historic agreement and a turnaround for Indonesia in the South Korean KF-21 fighter.
Developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), the KAAN is a 5th generation multi-role fighter, which now shows that it has good global potential. According to the agreement, deliveries to Indonesia will be completed within 120 months.
TAI has also committed to transferring technology to the Indonesian industrial park, but details have not been revealed.
Although currently equipped with US F-414 engines, the KAAN should be powered by the TF35000 turbofan, under local development.
Several fighter jets in sight
Valued at US$10 billion, the agreement between Turkey and Indonesia not only strengthens the latter’s capabilities in the face of threats in the Indo-Pacific region, where tensions with China are increasing due to the dispute over control of the South China Sea.
At the same time as it closes a deal with Turkey, Indonesia has committed to France to maintain its willingness to acquire 42 Dassault Rafale fighter jets, in a deal estimated at US$8.1 billion.
The country is betting on diversifying its military assets so as not to be tied to political and commercial alliances that could compromise the defense of the Indonesian archipelago.
The country’s Air Force has also said it may acquire Boeing F-15EX and Chengdu J-10CE fighters, but it is certain that the decision to support KAI will reflect on the troubled partnership with Korean Aerospace Industries on the KF-21 Boramae fighter.
Indonesia was supposed to take on much of the development of the 4.5-generation aircraft, but it has reportedly failed to provide the necessary funding. In addition, there is an ongoing investigation in South Korea into suspected intellectual property theft by the Indonesians.
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Ricardo Meier
Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM.
