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Welcoming Rafale
The increasing rivalry among big powers in the Indo-Pacific has stoked concerns that Indonesia could be all but defenseless if an open conflict breaks out.
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A cartoon of a Rafale fighter jet. (JP/T. Sutanto)
I
ndonesia’s purchase of Rafale fighter jets from France comes amid a dire need for the country to boost its air defense, not just because of its aging fleet but also because of rising tensions in the region.
Questions have been mounting over the capability of the Air Force to protect the country’s vast territory. Secretary-general of the Defense Ministry, Vice Air Marshal Donny Ermawan Taufanto, said the Air Force had been relying heavily on 33 United States-made F-16 jets that were now 30 years old, as well as Russian-made Su-27 and Su-30 aircraft more than 20 years old.
Besides the aging fleet, limited spare parts and munitions – and difficulties in securing them – have given Indonesia a constant headache. The increasing rivalry among big powers in the Indo-Pacific has stoked concerns that Indonesia could be all but defenseless if an open conflict breaks out.
Indonesia and France signed the deal during the visit of French Defense Minister Florence Parly to Jakarta on Thursday. She and her host, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, witnessed the procurement contract for the first six of 42 Dassault Aviation aircraft as part of a deal worth US$8.1 billion that also included submarine development, satellite procurement and ammunition production.
As an arms supplier, France is no stranger to Indonesia. Jakarta has bought, for example, Exocet anti-ship missiles, AMX light tanks and VAB tactical vehicles that state-owned arms producer PT Pindad later manufactured under the brands Anoa and Komodo.
The Rafale planes will be the first French aircraft in use in the Indonesian Military (TNI) when they arrive in 2026. If the purchase of the remaining 36 Rafale jets is finalized, it will be the largest such purchase in Indonesia’s history.
The planes will allow Indonesia to avoid dependence on a single supplier, which in the past has created issues. Relying too much on the US, Indonesia has been vulnerable to arms restrictions and embargoes. Indonesia turned to Russia for fighter jets in the early 2000s in response to a Washington arms embargo on the country. The Rafale planes were purchased, in part, to avoid strings attached to the purchase of US aircraft.
But just hours after the Rafale contract was signed, Washington announced the possibility of selling F-15ID aircraft and related equipment to Jakarta, worth up to $13.9 billion. Reports have emerged that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will visit Jakarta soon to realize the plan.
While welcoming the Rafale planes, the Air Force will have to think about the extra costs of establishing a brand-new support system for the French aircraft and integrating that system into the existing structure for the sake of interoperability. Air Force pilots and mechanics will have to undergo training to fly and maintain the new jets.
Certainly, the funds to procure the Rafale planes – and the F-15Ds if a deal is struck – will add a burden on the state, especially as it works to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Trade-offs and clear technology transfer mechanisms would be a fair solution to this issue.
The government should have the courage to push for such a deal. Otherwise, its quest for defense autarky will remain an empty pledge.
