Indonesia receives first Rafale fighter jets from France, official says

Jakarta, France’s top arms buyer in Southeast Asia, has ordered up to 42 Rafale jets plus frigates and subs

JAKARTA:

Indonesia has received its first three Rafale fighter jets from France under a multi-billion-dollar defence deal between the two countries, a defence ministry official said on Monday, marking a major upgrade to the country’s ageing military hardware.

Jakarta, France’s largest arms client in Southeast Asia, has ordered up to 42 Rafale jets built by Dassault Aviation, along with French frigates and submarines, as the archipelago steps up defence spending under President Prabowo Subianto, a former special forces commander.

“The aircraft have been handed over and are ready for use by the Indonesian Air Force,” Defence Ministry spokesperson Rico Ricardo Sirait said in a message to Reuters, confirming for the first time that Indonesia has taken possession of the advanced fighter jets following an $8 billion deal signed in 2022 and expanded last year.

Sirait said the three aircraft arrived on Friday and are stationed at Roesmin Nurjadin Air Base in Pekanbaru, on the western island of Sumatra.

Read More: Indonesia's $8.1b Rafale deal questioned after Pakistan downs Indian jets

More jets are expected to arrive later this year, he said, without specifying how many. Indonesia has been among the most active buyers on the international fighter jet market as it seeks to modernise its air force, allocating large budgets to defence spending.

Alongside the Rafales, Jakarta has considered other options, including China’s J-10 fighter jets and US-made F-15EX aircraft.

For the longer term, Indonesia has signed a contract to buy 48 KAAN fighter jets from Turkiye. The fifth-generation aircraft are powered by General Electric F110 engines, which are also used in fourth-generation Lockheed Martin F-16 jets.

Reuters also reported earlier this month that Indonesia and Pakistan discussed a potential deal for Jakarta to purchase combat jets and armed drones.

Last year in May, the Pakistani military brought down six Indian aircraft, including three Rafale jets, one MiG-29, one Su-30, and an Israeli-made Harop drone, in retaliation following Indian missile attacks.

In June, an Indian defence official admitted that the country’s air force "lost some aircraft" on the night of May 7, after launching strikes on civilian sites in Pakistan during the four-day conflict. Captain Shiv Kumar, India’s defence attaché, made the acknowledgement at a seminar in Indonesia, Indian media reported.

US President Donald Trump said he successfully brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, citing the threat of nuclear escalation as the primary motivator. He added that seven jets were shot down during the conflict.

The ceasefire, reached on May 10, halted the worst military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed nations in decades. The conflict, which saw both sides using fighter jets, drones, missiles, and artillery, led to around 70 casualties.