Indonesia receives Rafale jets

JAKARTA:

Indonesia has received its first three French-made Rafale fighter jets as part of a multibillion-dollar deal between the two countries, a defence ministry spokesman said Monday.

The jets are part of an $8.1 billion deal agreed in 2022 by then defence minister Prabowo Subianto to purchase 42 French-made Rafale fighters.

The three aircraft arrived in Indonesia on Friday and are currently at a military airbase in the Sumatran city of Pekanbaru, defence ministry spokesman Rico Ricardo Sirait said.

"The arrival of these Rafale (aircraft) is an important part of the modernisation of the Indonesian Air Force's defence equipment," Rico told AFP.

He added that the planes are "ready for use" by the air force as the administrative and technical handover process had been completed.

Prabowo, a former military general who was elected president in 2024, has sought to modernise Indonesia's ageing military assets.