Indonesia completes final order for 42 Rafale jets from France

Asia-Pacific, Europe, News January 12, 2024 , by IRIA No Comments

Indonesia has signed an agreement with France’s Dassault Aviation to purchase the last batch of 18 Rafale fighter jets to complete its order of 42 planes. Delivery of the final batch is scheduled to begin by early 2026.

Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto signed a contract on Monday for the last batch of 18 Rafale, the ministry said. “The arrival of the Rafale fighter-jets along with their weapons and support equipment is expected to significantly increase the strength and readiness of the Indonesian Air Force in safeguarding the country’s sovereignty in the air,” the ministry’s spokesman, Brig. Gen. Edwin Adrian Sumantha said in a statement.

Indonesia is on a path to modernize its air force by replacing its aging fleet of F-5 light combat aircraft. After narrowing the options for replacement down to the French-made Rafale jets, Jakarta pledged an $8.1 billion contract with Dassault Aviation in February 2022.

#DassaultAviation : Entrée en vigueur de la dernière tranche de 18 #Rafale pour l’Indonésie https://t.co/kOrwVgvBH3
Entry into force of the final tranche of 18 Rafale for Indonesia https://t.co/cOFr54ikcI pic.twitter.com/3N4W0A98D1
— Dassault Aviation (@Dassault_OnAir) January 8, 2024

Following the deal, Indonesia received six jets in September 2022 for $1.1 billion. While a second batch of 18 jets was delivered in August 2023. Indonesia finalized the deal for the second batch of 18 jets in April 2023 for $2.3 billion.

In addition, Indonesia is also set to receive 12 Dassault Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets from Qatar as an interim measure. The jets will serve in the Indonesian Air Force before the Southeast Asian nation can finalize the deal for its remaining 20 Rafale jets.

The Indonesian Air Force currently maintains a fleet of different variants of 50 F-16 jets alongside approximately 10 Russian Su-27SKM and Su-30 fighters.

Dassault Rafale

Rafale is a twin-engine combat fighter jet designed to support naval and aerial operations. It features an array of high-performance laser warning receivers, missile warning systems, detection systems, and jammers.

Rafale can carry AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, ASRAAM and AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, Apache missiles, and Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Its state-of-the-art cockpit is equipped with a wide-angle holographic display that provides pilots with aircraft control data, mission data, and firing cues. It also has an RBE2 passive electronically scanned radar from Thales to track up to eight targets simultaneously.

Despite tough competition with American and other European manufacturers, Rafale has made significant breakthroughs in the international market as its demand has increased in recent years.

French Air Force Rafale fighter jets — *^{French Air Force Rafales fitted with Mica missiles during the Opération Harmattan. (Image Credit: Dassault Aviation)}*

Indonesia became one of the several international customers for the French-made Rafale jets in 2022. Around the same time, France also finalized a deal with Croatia for 12 Rafale fighters and the United Arab Emirates closed a deal with France to purchase 80 jets.

Egypt is also among the countries that have increased the use of Rafale jets in its air force fleet, while India, Qatar, Greece, Serbia, and Colombia are also negotiating terms to buy the new models of the Rafale fighter jets. Dassault Aviation has tripled the annual production of its Rafale aircraft due to the increased demand globally.