Indonesia’s recent decision to acquire a fleet of Leonardo M-346F Block 20 light combat aircraft will provide the foundation for the country to develop crewed-uncrewed teaming capabilities, according to intelligence and productivity platform, GlobalData.
Last month, Leonardo signed a contract to deliver 12 M-346F aircraft equipped with active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars and Link 16 datalinks to the Indonesian Air Force.
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The new jets, which are expected to be delivered from 2030, will serve as a replacement for the Air Force’s current Hawk squadrons, while operating at the lower cost structure associated with trainer aircraft.
According to GlobalData, this procurement is designed not only to modernise pilot training but also to enable the introduction of new operational concepts, including crewed-uncrewed teaming.
Indonesia became the first international buyer of Baykar’s Bayraktar Kizilelma uncrewed combat aerial vehicle earlier this year.
By acquiring both the M-346F and Kizilelma UAVs, Indonesia opens up the opportunity to integrate crewed and uncrewed aircraft in its future air operations.
GlobalData Aerospace and Defense Analyst Harsh Deshmukh said: “Leonardo and Baykar have successfully completed live flight trials under their K-SWARM project, pairing a crewed Leonardo M-346 jet with an uncrewed Baykar Kızılelma combat drone.
“No other country has committed to both platforms. Should Indonesia pursue this pairing, its pilots would gain experience managing an autonomous wingman during lead-in fighter training.
Deshmukh added that an additional interoperability advantage arises from the shared Italian avionics standard present in both the trainer and the Turkish uncrewed platform, giving Jakarta a control architecture across two supplier relationships.
The new trainer fleet’s Grifo E600 AESA radar offers greater capability than the US-made AN/APG-68 system used in Indonesia’s F-16 Block 52 jets, GlobalData noted.
The M-346F will also be assigned roles such as radar and datalink training and may undertake air-policing duties in areas like the North Natuna Sea, reducing the operational burden on Indonesia’s higher-end combat jets.
“The new capabilities will allow the Air Force to conduct radar and datalink training sorties on the trainer itself, while also assigning it air-policing duties over the North Natuna Sea. Neither role needs to consume flying hours from the higher-end fighters Indonesia is acquiring for more demanding contingencies,” Deshmukh added.
GlobalData’s report, “The Global Military Fixed-Wing Aircraft Market Forecast 2026–2036”, estimates Indonesia will allocate roughly $25.3bn to fixed-wing aircraft procurement between 2026 and 2036, with training and light attack platforms representing 4.5% of the projected expenditure.
In November last year, the Indonesian Ministry of Defence (MoD) received its first A400M military transport aircraft from Airbus Defence and Space, making Indonesia the tenth nation to operate the aircraft.
