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View all search resultsAir Force welcomes three new Rafale jets
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Sky warriors: Indonesian Air Force fighter jet pilots prepare to fly a Rafale aircraft on Sept. 24 at St. Dizier-Robinson air base in France. (Antara/Handout/Indonesian Air Force/Antara/Handout/Indonesian Air Force)
I
ndonesia has received its first batch of French-made Rafale fighter jets, the Defense Ministry confirmed on Tuesday, with three aircraft now stationed at an airbase in Pekanbaru, Riau.
The three jets arrived at the Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force Base in Pekanbaru on Friday and will be inaugurated by President Prabowo Subianto in a ceremony at his earliest convenience, according to ministry spokesperson Brig. Gen. Rico Ricardo Sirait.
“Administratively and technically, the aircraft have been handed over [to Indonesia] and are now ready for use by the Air Force,” Rico said on Tuesday, as quoted by Antara.
12th Squadron, known as “Black Panther”, will operate the three Rafale jets. The squadron currently flies United Kingdom-made BAE Systems Hawk 109/209 light fighters.
The Friday delivery came almost four years after Jakarta inked a US$8.1 billion deal with Paris to procure a total of 42 Rafale jets, a purchase touted as a cornerstone for modernizing Indonesia’s aging air force fleet. Prabowo, who became president in October 2024, was defense minister when the deal was signed in 2022.
Indonesia has stepped up its defense spending in recent years as it aims to upgrade its outdated military weapons systems, amid rising anxieties over an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape, especially in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Rafale jet’s specifications have been projected to enhance both Indonesia’s air defense system as well as its maritime security, as it is capable of carrying more than nine tons of weapons, including Exocet and Harpoon anti-ship missiles, useful for deterring hostile vessels in Indonesian waters.
