TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsRI buys used jet fighters for $800 million despite criticism
The Defense Ministry said in a statement that Indonesia had signed the deal for 733 million euros ($792 million) with Excalibur International.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
I
ndonesia confirmed on Wednesday it had bought 12 Mirage 2000-5 jet fighters previously used by Qatar, defending the nearly US$800 million deal as a fast way to upgrade the air force after it was criticized by lawmakers who said the planes were too old.
The Defense Ministry said in a statement that Indonesia had signed the deal for 733 million euros ($792 million) with Excalibur International, a unit of Czech defense 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 Indonesian media, who quoted lawmakers raising doubts about it.
"What is so urgent that we had to buy used and old jets?" Kompas daily 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 would 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 Defense Ministry, said in a statement.
