JAKARTA, June 4 (Reuters) - Indonesia is weighing buying

China's J-10 fighter jets, given their relatively cheaper price

and advanced capability, as it also considers finalising a

purchase of U.S.-made F-15EX jets, a senior official said on

Wednesday.

Southeast Asia's most populous country has in recent years

embarked on efforts to modernise its ageing military hardware.

In 2022 it bought 42 French Rafale jets worth $8.1 billion, six

of which will be delivered next year.

"We have had talks with China and they offered us a lot, not

just J-10, but also ships, arms, frigates," said Deputy Defence

Minister and retired Air Marshal Donny Ermawan Taufanto.

"We're evaluating J-10," Taufanto said, adding that Jakarta

was reviewing system compatibility and after-sales support as

well as pricing.

A potential purchase has been considered for over a year,

before the recent conflict between India and Pakistan, but

Taufanto said Indonesia would factor in reports that a Pakistani

J-10 plane shot down multiple Indian jets last month.

Jakarta also continues to consider whether to proceed with

the next step for its purchase of F-15EX fighters, he said,

following the defence ministry's deal with planemaker Boeing ( BA )

for the sale in 2023.

Taufanto said the U.S. jets' capabilities were well

recorded, but suggested the offered price of $8 billion for 24

planes remained in question.

French President Emmanuel Macron said after meeting

Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta last week

that they had signed a preliminary defence pact that could lead

to new orders of French hardware including Rafale jets.

"We're considering (France's) offer. We're considering our

own budget, we're evaluating, especially given we have other

options like J-10, F-15," Taufanto said.