Turkey has signed its first-ever export deal for its domestically developed KAAN fifth-generation fighter jets with Indonesia, marking a significant development for its growing defence industry. The announcement was made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday during the Indo-Defence 2025 exhibition in Jakarta. The deal has come at a time when Ankara is facing increased scrutiny for scaling its defence cooperation with Pakistan, especially after it supported Islamabad during the military escalations with India.

The KAAN completed its maiden flight in 2024 and is likely to deliver 48 jets to Indonesia by 2028. The deal also includes a provision to integrate Indonesia’s local defence expertise into the production of jets.

Turkey-Indonesia Defence deal

Turkey President Erdogan stated in a post on X that the fighter jets would be manufactured in Turkey with the integration of the buyer country’s local capabilities. “This agreement showcases the achievements of our domestic and national defence industry,” he mentioned, hailing the counterpart’s role in enabling the deal. This defence agreement has been made amid deepening ties between Ankara and Indonesia, which have earlier agreed to jointly develop a drone production facility in alliance with Turkish manufacturer Baykar. Pakistan and Azerbaijan, which are close Turkish allies, have also shown interest in purchasing the KAAN.

Turkey’s growing defence expansion has not come without controversy. Ankara openly expressed solidarity with Pakistan after India carried out a precision strike on nine terrorist locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Turkey’s support to Pakistan ignited a strong response from India. Social media platforms were flooded with calls to boycott Turkish products. Some Indian institutions and government-linked bodies even withdrew from deals and contracts that were made with Turkish firms.

The KAAN deal reflects Turkey’s growing global defence exporter plan but on the other its close military ties with Pakistan continues to raise concerns in New Delhi.