The Rafale is once once more being emulated. Indonesia has just signed for six fighter jets from the Dassault group, in an order for 42 aircraft in total, Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto announced on Thursday. “We have agreed to purchase 42 Rafales”, with “a contract signed (Thursday) for the first six”, he indicated following a meeting with his French counterpart Florence Parly in Jakarta.
Southeast Asia’s largest country has never previously acquired French fighter jets, but is seeking to diversify its alliances and military equipment suppliers amid rising Asia Pacific tensions between China and the United States. For its part, France is seeking to strengthen ties with Indonesia following seeing its strategy for asserting itself in the Asia-Pacific shaken last year by the sudden termination by Australia of a purchase contract French submarines.
“Indonesia is choosing French industrial excellence! The know-how of the more than 400 French companies and thousands of workers who design the Rafale is recognized”, greeted the President of the Republic this Thursday morning.
Indonesia has aging equipment, mainly American F-16s and Russian Su-27 and Su-30 Sukhoi. It is in negotiations with multiple partners to renew its combat aircraft.
A prosperous year for Dassault
A contract that Indonesia signed in 2018 for the purchase of eleven Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets from Russia never materialized, due to the American Caatsa law which provides for automatic sanctions when a country concludes a “significant transaction” with the Russian armament. At the same time, Jakarta is negotiating the purchase of around thirty American F-15 combat aircraft, according to the media, and is participating in a research and development project with South Korea for the KF-21 combat aircraft.
Dassault had a boom year in 2021 with 18 aircraft sold to Greece (including twelve used), 30 to Egypt and 12 second-hand to Croatia and a record order of 80 aircraft for the United Arab Emirates. Last December, it was the United Arab Emirates that enabled the flagship of French aeronautics to register the largest contract in its history, with 80 planes ordered.
