Indonesia has officially decided on a new fighter for its Air Force. Yesterday, February 9, the portal scramble.nl He reported that the Indonesian Defense Ministry has signed a contract with Dassault Aviation for the first batch of six Rafale aircraft.
In 2015, the Russian Su-35 won the tender to replace the outdated Northrop F-5, but its purchase stalled due to sanctions. In December last year, the Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force, Fajar Prasetyo, announced a "defeat" in an attempt to buy fighters from the Russian Federation. Therefore, it is planned to purchase two or three squadrons of new Boeing F-15EX Eagle II or Dassault Rafale fighters for the Air Force. Now it became known about the choice of French fighters.
Rafale Fighter
Image source: scramble.nl
The details of the contract are not disclosed. At the same time, it is known that Indonesia plans to purchase a total of 36 Rafale fighters. According to Scramble, in the coming days, French Defense Minister Florence Parly plans to go to Indonesia to "get a firm order for the remaining thirty fighters."
The new fighters will dilute the fleet of existing F-16C/D Fighting Falcon and Su-27/30. In addition, Indonesia has returned to the KF-21/IF-X development program, which is being conducted jointly with South Korea.
