Indonesia is about to order another batch of 18 Rafale fighters from Dassault Aviation.
Sources close to the matter told La Tribune that Indonesia had secured funding for another 18 Rafales along with air-to-air weaponry. The order should be announced soon and signed in a few months.
In total, Indonesia plans to acquire 42 Dassault Rafale fighter jets to modernize its air force. An initial contract for the delivery of six French fighters was signed in September 2022 by Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto.
In November 2022, the Indonesian Ministry of Finance approved plans to seek up to $3.9 billion in foreign loans to procure new fighters for the Indonesian Air Force.
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.
In January 2023, the VIP fleet of the Indonesian Air Force’s 17th Air Squadron, housed at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base, was reinforced by a Falcon 7X and a Falcon 8X business jet, registered A-0707 and A-0808 respectively.