Indonesia is considering the possibility of additional Dassault Aviation Rafale fighters, while it has also not ruled out obtaining Chengdu J-10C fighters from China.

During a visit to Jakarta, French President Emanual Macron signed an agreement with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto covering Rafales, howitzers, frigates, and submarines.

Rafale for Indonesia

Source: Dassault Aviation

Indonesia will field a total of 42 Rafale fighters

“I welcome Indonesia’s intent to consider an additional batch of Rafales,” says Dassault chief executive Eric Trappier, who accompanied Macron.

He adds that Indonesia already has 42 Rafales on order and will receive its first example in 2026.

The news that Indonesia may obtain an unspecified number of additional Rafales coincided with a story in Indonesian state news agency Antara that Jakarta is weighing the acquisition of Chinese-built J-10Cs.

It quotes air force chief of staff Marshal Tony Harjono as saying that the J-10C is being considered. He also indicated that any J-10C acquisition would need to go through several layers of bureaucracy before being approved.

The J-10C and Rafale have featured in the news recently. While unconfirmed, it is believed that Pakistani air force J-10Cs using PL-15 missiles downed one or more Indian air force Rafales during the clash between the two countries in early May.

It is difficult to find a fighter that Indonesia has not expressed interest in. Jakarta is a junior partner in the Korea Aerospace Industries KF-21, but the relationship with Seoul has soured and it is far from certain if Jakarta will obtain the type. Moreover, Indonesia also has expressed interest in the Turkish Aerospace Kaan programme.

Jakarta also has a memorandum of understanding to buy the Boeing F-15EX. Over the years, there have been abortive plans to obtain used Eurofighter Typhoons from Austria, used Dassault Mirage 2000-5s from Qatar, and Sukhoi Su-35s from Russia.

The country prides itself on being non-aligned, which is reflected in its eclectic in-service fixed-wing combat fleet.

According to FlightGlobal’s 2025 World Air Forces directory, the Indonesian air force combat fleet includes 25 Lockheed Martin F-16s, 21 BAE Systems Hawk 209s, 16 Su-27/30s, and 13 Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano light attack aircraft.

Despite Indonesia’s non-aligned policy, a Chinese fighter purchase would seem an odd choice, given that Chinese military aggression in the South China Sea is perhaps the single greatest security challenge for Southeast Asia.

Beijing’s so-called “nine-dash line”, which it uses as a basis for its illegal claim to most of the South China Sea, conflicts with the exclusive economic zone surrounding Indonesia’s Natuna Islands.

Underling the challenge posed by China, Beijing recently dispatched Xian H-6 bombers to its base on Woody Island in the Paracels, underlining its ability to project power across Southeast Asia.