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RI 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.
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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.
The country has long been seeking to overhaul its ageing air fleet, which includes United States-made F-16 and Russian Sukhoi Su-27 and Su-30 jets.
The ministry said plans to replace its F-5 Tiger jets with Su-35 had been hampered by US sanctions on Russia, adding that Jakarta had other plans to upgrade its fleet but that would take some time.
Indonesia announced plans to purchase 11 Su-35 jets from Russia in 2017, which it had intended to pay with cash and the country’s commodities.
The country secured a deal to order 42 Rafale fighter jets for $8.1 billion in February. A planned purchase of F-15 fighter jets is also in advanced stages and awaiting final sign-off from the government, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto said last year.
