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Indonesia confirms buying used Mirage fighter jets for $800 million
The ministry said in a statement that Indonesia had signed the deal for 733 million euros ($792 million) with Excalibur International a.s., a unit of Czech defence company Czechoslovak Group (CSG) in January. The planes would be delivered within 24 months of that date.
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A photo taken on February 1, 2021 shows a French Mirage 2000-5 in the Djiboutian air space.
(AFP/Daphne Benoit)
T
he Defense Ministry confirmed on Wednesday it had bought 12 Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets previously used by Qatar, defending the nearly $800 million deal as a fast way to upgrade the air force after it was criticised by lawmakers who said the planes were too old.
The ministry said in a statement that Indonesia had signed the deal for 733 million euros ($792 million) with Excalibur International a.s., a unit of Czech defence company Czechoslovak Group (CSG) in January. The planes would be delivered within 24 months of that date.
The deal, for nine jets with single seats and three with double seats, was first reported earlier on Wednesday by Kompas, who quoted lawmakers raising doubts about it.
"What is so urgent that we had to buy used and old jets?" the newspaper Kompas quoted lawmaker Tubagus Hasanuddin as saying.
According to the website of manufacturer Dassault Aviation, the model was first launched in 1967.
The ministry did not mention the age of the jets. It said they will come with three years of support service and pilot training.
"Indonesia needs fighter jets that could be delivered quickly to cover for the decline of combat readiness in the Indonesian Air Force's fleet," Edwin Adrian Sumantha, spokesperson for the defence ministry, said in a statement.
