Deputy House Speaker Backs Purchase of Turkish Fighter Jets Amid Budget Efficiency

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August 4, 2025 | 07:02 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad responded to public criticism of Prabowo's administration decision to purchase 48 fighter jets from Turkey amid budget efficiency campaigns. According to him, budget efficiency does not equal lack of funds but reallocating the budget to other, more prioritized, programs.

"The results of budget efficiency will be allocated to other more beneficial activities," said Dasco when met at the DPR building on Monday, August 4, 2025.

The plan to purchase fighter jets from Turkey wasn't exactly new, he said, and it was deemed necessary in the wake of global uncertainty. "We also need to strengthen our defense," he said.

Previously, the Ministry of Defense signed a contract to purchase 48 Kaan fighter jets from Turkey last July. The contract was signed between the Indonesian government representatives and Turkey at the International Defense Exhibition (IDEF) 2025 in Istanbul, on Saturday, July 26, 2025, in the presence of Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.

"This signing is a follow-up to the previous government-to-government (G2G) agreement signed on June 11, 2025," said Brigadier General Frega Wenas Inkiriwang, Head of the Defense Information Bureau of the Ministry of Defense, as quoted by Antara on Monday, July 28, 2025.

Kaan is the first fighter jet entirely made by the Turkish defense industry. This fifth-generation fighter jet was developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries in technical collaboration with BAE Systems, a defense contractor and manufacturer in the UK.

This fighter jet has high maneuverability and can be armed with Stand-Off Missiles (SOM) and long-range cruise missiles with a range of over 250 kilometers. The Kaan fighter jet's sensor also uses the Murad radar, an active electronic scanner (AESA). This radar system provides multi-mode functions, allowing simultaneous tracking of multiple airborne targets, high-resolution ground mapping, and integrated electronic warfare capabilities such as jamming and signal disruption.

Rafif Nur Tahta Bagaskara and Kakak Indra Purnama contributed to the writing of this article

Editor’s Choice: Indonesia Plans Purchase of 48 Turkish KAAN Fighter Jets in Rp162 Trillion MoU

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