JAKARTA: Indonesian and Turkish defense companies are teaming up to develop the next generation of Turkiye’s Kizilelma autonomous combat aircraft, as a fresh deal makes Jakarta the first foreign buyer of the new fighter jets.
Indonesian defense firm Republikorp and Turkish drone maker Baykar signed the agreement on the sidelines of the SAHA 2026 Defence and Aerospace Exhibition in Istanbul this week.
The deal aims to strengthen the operational development of the Kizilelma drones starting from 2028, and also covers technology transfer, training, strategic tech research and localized production and maintenance centers.
“This collaboration is a continuation of the Joint Venture Agreement that began in 2025 for the local production of the Bayraktar TB3 and AKINCI in Indonesia. The partnership has now expanded to building a sustainable aerospace industry ecosystem and developing a next-generation UCAV (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle),” Republikorp said in a statement.
Under the 2025 deal, the two companies agreed to set up a drone factory in Indonesia.
Baykar drones, particularly the unmanned aerial combat vehicle Bayraktar TB2, gained global prominence after they were used by Ukraine’s military against Russian forces following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Indonesia’s purchase of the 15-meter-long, stealthy and supersonic Kizilelma follows the first joint Indonesia-Turkiye foreign and defense ministers’ meeting in January, when the two countries agreed to boost their defense ties, including through joint capacity-building and industrial cooperation.
Baykar, one of Turkiye’s largest defense exporters, will start delivering Indonesia’s order of 12 Kizilelma starting in 2028, the Istanbul-based company said on X.
“This is a concrete boost to Indonesia’s defense self-reliance. The timing is especially notable as Turkey has just unveiled its first intercontinental ballistic missile, underscoring the maturity of Turkey’s indigenous defense ecosystem,” defense and military expert Connie Rahakundini Bakrie told Arab News on Friday.
Turkiye’s ICBM, named Yildirimhan, meaning “lightning” in Turkish, was unveiled on Tuesday at the SAHA 2026 expo.
With its range of 6,000 km and a maximum speed of Mach 25, which is 25 times the speed of sound, the Yildirimhan can hit targets across Europe, Africa and Asia if launched from Turkiye, according to reports.
“I think this Indo-Turkiye collaboration is a timely and smart strategic move,” Bakrie said.
She points to Indonesia’s location right by the world’s most critical chokepoints, such as the straits of Malacca, Sunda and Lombok, as well as key routes in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean.
“Great-power competition strategies, hypersonic weapons, and rapid naval modernization by regional actors increasingly risk disrupting these vital global trade arteries,” she said.
Indonesia must therefore “urgently strengthen” integrated air and maritime capabilities, especially to secure sea lanes of communication or SLOC, which are the primary maritime trade routes connecting ports that are essential for global trade.
“Next generation UCAVs like Kizilelma are ideal for persistent maritime surveillance, domain awareness and precision strike across vast ocean areas without risking pilots,” Bakrie added.
“When paired with a modernized navy, submarines, and coastal missile systems, they safeguard sovereignty, protect the EEZ (exclusive economic zones), and position Indonesia as a credible security provider for international SLOC stability.”
