Asked when Indonesia’s Chinese fighters will finally show up, the head of the Indonesian Air Force smiled and gave a two-word answer. “Just wait,” Air Marshal Mohamad Tonny Harjono told Republika on 5 October 2026, on the sidelines of the armed forces’ anniversary celebrations in Jakarta.

According to Republika and the South China Morning Post, the wait should be about six months. That would put the first Chengdu J-10CE fighters in Indonesia around April 2027, making the country one of only a handful of export customers for the type.

What the Air Chief Said

Republika put the question to Tonny Harjono at Indonesian armed forces headquarters in East Jakarta, where the military was marking its anniversary on 5 October. He did not give a number of aircraft or a precise date, only that the J-10s should arrive in roughly six months. A member of the Indonesian parliament’s defence commission, Dave Akbarshah Fikarno Laksono, told the paper he supported the purchase.

The size of the order has never been laid out in detail in public. The South China Morning Post and Firstpost have both reported a deal for 42 aircraft, while other outlets have reported smaller initial numbers. What is clear is that Jakarta has committed to the type, and that the first jets are now close.

A Mixed Fleet Like No Other

Indonesia’s air force is already one of the most varied in the world. It flies American F-16s and Russian Sukhoi Su-27s and Su-30s, and it has ordered French Dassault Rafales. Adding Chinese J-10CEs makes it a rare operator of front-line fighters from all of the world’s major combat-aircraft exporters at once.

That mix has a cost in spare parts, training and maintenance. But it also shields Jakarta from depending on any one supplier, a lesson Indonesia learned during the years when US sanctions grounded much of its earlier fleet. The J-10CE, with its AESA radar and PL-15E long-range missiles, also gives Indonesia a capable fighter to operate alongside its Rafales.

The J-10CE’s Growing Export Club

Pakistan was the first export customer for the J-10CE, and its jets drew worldwide attention after the May 2025 air clashes with India. Uzbekistan has since confirmed its own J-10CEs, Bangladesh has been linked to a deal, and China showed a J-10CE mock-up in Azerbaijani colours at ADEX in Baku this autumn. Indonesia would bring the type to Southeast Asia.

Firstpost looked at why Indonesia chose the J-10 when the deal was reported:

Sources: Republika, South China Morning Post, Firstpost, Defence Security Asia