Indonesia has become the first Southeast Asian country to operate a modern ballistic missile system following the arrival of Turkiye’s KHAN short-range ballistic missile (SRBM), with the deployment coming just days ahead of the country’s 80th Independence Day celebration.

“The first batch of KHAN missiles has been stationed at the 18th Field Artillery Battalion in East Kalimantan,” Indonesian Army spokesman Brigadier General Wahyu Yudhyana said on August 11, 2025.

However, the system has not yet been officially transferred to the Army, pending the delivery of the second batch under the Defense Ministry’s procurement program.

The KHAN, also known domestically in Turkiye as the Bora, has a range of under 1,000 kilometers and can carry a 570-kg warhead with an accuracy of less than 10 meters.

Equipped with GPS, GNSS, and an inertial navigation system, the missile is designed to strike high-value targets such as radar facilities, command centers, and bunkers.

Murat İkinci, CEO of Roketsan, KHAN manufacturer, said the defense deal also covers technology transfer, including intellectual property licensing, production training, and capacity building for Indonesian engineers, as part of efforts to strengthen homegrown defense industry.

With KHAN’s deployment, Indonesia not only gains strategic strike capability but also emerges as a regional leader in modern ballistic missile technology.

Regional military analysts note that Indonesia’s acquisition sets a new precedence in Southeast Asia’s evolving security landscape. While other ASEAN states are reported to possess ballistic capabilities, none hasfielded a modern system until now.

Vietnam is believed to maintain legacy of Scud missiles from the Soviet Union era and North Korea’s Hwasong-6, with ranges of 300 to 600 kilometers.

Myanmar, meanwhile, has reportedly acquired North Korea’s Hwasong-5 and China’s BP-12A integrated with the SY-400 platform, but there has been no official confirmation of their operational status.