The Indonesian Ministry of Finance approved plans to seek up to USD3.9 billion in foreign loans to procure new fighters for the Indonesian Air Force.
The loans will fund three separate procurements, according to approval letters seen by Janes, two of which were made public.
After an initial contract for the delivery of six Dassault Rafale fighters was signed in February 2022, the Ministry of Defense is now moving forward with the second batch of between 12 and 18 French jets. Indonesia plans to eventually acquire 42 Dassault Rafale fighter jets to modernize its air force.
In addition, 12 Mirage 2000-5 fighters from the Qatar Emiri Air Force will also be acquired as a stopgap solution while waiting for the Rafale deliveries. The 2000-5 is an air superiority variant of the aircraft developed by Dassault Aviation in the 1970s.
The fleet was initially supposed to be acquired by the French private contractor ARES to train local naval fighter pilots, but the deal seemingly faltered.
Currently, the Indonesian Air Force flies a mix of around 50 F-16 A/Bs and C/Ds, along with about 10 Russian Su-27SKM and Su-30 fighters.
On November 8, 2022, Indonesian Air Force Chief of Staff Air Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo revealed that pilots and engineers were sent to France, where they will learn to fly and maintain the Dassault Rafale fighter jet.