TSAMTO, January 9th. The Indonesian Air Force has abandoned plans to acquire Mirage-2000-5 fighters from the Qatar Air Force, and the released funds will be used to modernize/repair the fleet of Su-27/Su-30 and F-16 fighters.
This was stated on the evening news program on TV One on January 2 by the representative of the Minister of Defense, Dakhnil Anzar Simanjuntak.
According to him, one of the main reasons for the rejection of the Qatari Mirage-2000-5 was the lack of approval from the Indonesian Ministry of Finance. The government was unable to obtain a loan of about $800 million for this transaction in the financial market. In connection with the abandonment of these aircraft, D. Simanjuntak said that the Ministry of Defense is activating a program to modernize/repair the fleet of Indonesian Air Force fighters, such as the F-16 and Su-27/Su-30.
The second reason for the rejection of the project was the position of legislators, according to whom the purchase of used fighters violates the provisions of paragraph 5 of Article 43 of Law No. 16 of 2012 "On the Defense Industry". The representative of the Minister of Defense explained that this law requires, when purchasing military equipment, a trade profit due to compensation packages and a number of other requirements that are almost impossible to comply with when purchasing used weapons.
Also in the same program on TV One, the former commander of the Armed Forces, General Andika Perkasa, said that the plan for the purchase of Mirage-2000-5 was impractical, since difficulties would arise with their maintenance. Aircraft of this type are no longer produced and it is obvious that difficulties in obtaining spare parts for them are inevitable, and, consequently, unforeseen financial costs.
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Due to conflicting information in the media about the purchase of Mirage-2000-5 fighters from the Qatari Air Force for the Indonesian Air Force, the Indonesian Ministry of Defense issued an official press release on June 15, 2023, in which it disclosed some information about the causes and progress of this program.
As stated at the time, the purchase is being implemented in accordance with the purchase and sale agreement TRAK/181/PLN/I/2023/AU dated January 31, 2023 in the amount of 733 million euros, concluded with the Czech company Excalibur International a.s. (acted as an intermediary in the sale). At the same time, Indonesia planned to use foreign loans to finance the deal.
It was assumed that the aircraft would be delivered within 24 months after the entry into force of the contract and stationed at the Supadio Air Base in Pontianak on the west coast of Kalimantan Island, where the 1st Aviation Squadron is based (now equipped with the Hawk Mk.100/200 UBS).
It was planned to purchase 12 Mirage-2000-5 aircraft from the Qatar Air Force (9 single-seat Mirage-2000-5EDA and 3 two-seat Mirage-2000-5DDA), 14 engines, weapons and spare parts. In addition, provision of support services (for a period of 3 years) and training of pilots and technical specialists was provided.
The reason for the purchase was the concern of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense about the decrease in the level of combat readiness of the country's Air Force due to the fact that the service life of a number of combat aircraft in service is expiring (for example, the F-5E/F Tiger-2).
To increase the combat capability of the Indonesian Air Force, the Ministry of Defense has plans for the modernization and overhaul of Su-27/30, Hawk Mk.100/200 and F-16 aircraft, which are included in the relevant lists of the National Development Planning Agency. Nevertheless, according to the Ministry, these measures are not enough. In the period 2020-2024. The Ministry of Defense has also planned the purchase of new Rafale and F-15EX Super Eagle aircraft. At the same time, according to the contract signed in early 2022, the delivery of the first three Rafale fighters will be completed only in January 2026, and the contract for the supply of F-15s under the Foreign Military Sales program is still under discussion "letters of proposal and acceptance of the proposal."
Thus, taking into account the stated facts, in order to prevent a decrease in the combat capability of the Air Force, it was decided to purchase Mirage-2000-5 aircraft from the Qatari Air Force, which could be promptly put into service.
A number of Indonesian lawmakers and analysts called the deal expensive and risky at the time. Thus, a member of the parliamentary commission on defense affairs of Sukamta stated that used aircraft would be too expensive to maintain, and the supply of spare parts could be difficult.
According to local experts, the purchase of used aircraft was the latest attempt by the current government to achieve the ambitious goal of creating a "Minimum Necessary Force" (MEF) by 2024. At the moment, plans have been implemented by only 65%, and the Air Force is at the lowest level of support/staffing among the three types of the Indonesian armed forces. So, the authorities planned to have 10 fighter squadrons in the Air Force by 2024.
