The Defense Ministry’s plan to buy 15 second-hand Eurofighter Typhoons from Austria may provide a two-pronged benefit to Indonesia. Not only will the jet fighters increase the country’s military capabilities and deterrence, they will also open up opportunities for its defense companies, both state-owned and private. Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto sent a letter dated July 10 to his Austrian counterpart Klaudia Tanner offering to buy the heavy jet fighters, just four days after the United States cleared Indonesia’s purchase of Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey tiltrotors and related equipment worth some US$2 billion. The ministry’s spokesman, Brig. Gen. Djoko Purwanto, said the planned purchase had been thoroughly researched. “Everything is studied and selected before the government issues a formal purchase offer,” Djoko said during a press conference on...