A maintenance man assigned to an aviation brigade of the air force under the Chinese PLA Southern Theater Command conducts pre-flight inspections on a J-10 fighter jet prior to a day-and-night flight training exercise. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Shang Jieyan)

According to media reports on Thursday, Indonesia is assessing purchasing China’s J-10 fighter jets, taking into account the aircraft’s recent combat success. A Chinese military affairs expert said the J-10 is an outstanding warplane that can attract many potential buyers, especially after having proved its effectiveness in real battle.
 
Indonesia said China has offered to sell it J-10 jets, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. The government is examining whether the planes widely used by China’s air force meet operational requirements and can be integrated into Indonesia’s existing systems, Deputy Defense Minister Donny Ermawan Taufanto was quoted in the report as saying during a public discussion in Jakarta on Wednesday.

He said that the jets were offered during a visit by Indonesian Air Force officials to China, but emphasized that the assessment remains preliminary and that Jakarta hasn’t dispatched a team to conduct a technical evaluation or pursue the offer further, per Bloomberg.
 
"We have had talks with China and they offered us a lot, not just J-10, but also ships, arms, frigates," said Taufanto, according to a report by Reuters.

"We're evaluating J-10," Taufanto said, adding that Jakarta was reviewing system compatibility and after-sales support as well as pricing. A potential purchase has been considered for over a year, before the recent conflict between India and Pakistan, but Taufanto said Indonesia would factor in reports that a Pakistani J-10 plane shot down multiple Indian jets last month, Reuters reported.
 
It is reported that China’s made-for-export J-10CE fighter jet recently achieved its first real combat success by shooting down multiple warplanes in air combat while sustaining no losses of its own, CCTV News reported on May 17.

Indonesia is also considering the US offer of F-15EX fighters and France's offer of Rafale jets, but Taufanto emphasized budget and pricing concerns, according to the Reuters report.

Taufanto said Indonesia’s approach to procurement reflects a pragmatic, non-aligned defense strategy, giving the country broad latitude to pursue military deals across a range of partners, Bloomberg reported.

“If we find that the jet performs well, meets our criteria, and comes at a good price, why not?” he said, referring to the J-10. “We’re not bound by any alliance, so we can source weapons from any country, including China,” per Bloomberg.
 
China displayed a selection of its top aviation products including the J-10CE at the 17th edition of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA 2025) in Malaysia in late May.

Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times that China’s J-10C fighter jet is an excellent warplane that has now been put through the test of real combat. It has fully displayed its outstanding beyond-visual-range air-to-air combat capabilities with advanced avionics and radar systems.

If some countries are planning to modernize their air force fleets, the J-10C could be a highly attractive option, Fu said.