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Indonesia signs deal with France to buy 6 Rafale warplanes
"We agreed on the purchase of 42 Rafale. The contract signed today is for the first six, which will be followed by 36 others," said Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto.
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A Rafale jet fighter is seen at the Tanagra military air base during a welcome ceremony following the arrival of the first Rafale jet fighters at the Tanagra military air base, north of Athens, on January 19, 2022. Greece took delivery on January 19 of the first six Rafale jets in a multi-billion arms deal which Athens and Paris claim boosts the EU's defence ambitions, whilst also serving to counter Turkish ambitions in the Mediterranean. The six warplanes landed at Tanagra airbase, some 70 kilometres (43 miles) north of Athens after overflying the Acropolis, escorted by Greek Mirage jets, a prior purchase from France. (AFP/Angelos Tzortzinis )
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ndonesia signed a deal with France Thursday to buy six Rafale warplanes as part of an anticipated total order of 42, Jakarta's defence minister said, as Paris bolsters military ties in the Asia-Pacific.
"We agreed on the purchase of 42 Rafale. The contract signed today is for the first six, which will be followed by 36 others," said Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto.
It was the latest sign of warming ties between Jakarta and Paris, as France rethinks its alliances in the region following the collapse in September of a multibillion-dollar Australian submarine deal.
Paris was left furious by the debacle, saying it had been given no warning that Canberra was negotiating a new defence pact with the US and Britain, named AUKUS.
Indonesia's first order for French warplanes comes as Jakarta replaces an ageing fleet -- consisting mainly of American F-16s and Russian Sukhois -- amid growing concerns about rising US-China tensions in Asia.
