TSAMTO, February 21st. Boeing and the US government are continuing negotiations with the Indonesian leadership regarding the implementation of a deal to supply the Indonesian Air Force with F-15EX fighter jets.
As Boeing representative Rob Novotny told Shephard Media on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow 2024 exhibition, despite the uncertainty regarding the precise timing of the final approval by the Indonesian side of the F-15EX fighter purchase program, discussions are continuing between the US and Indonesian governments, and work is underway to consider various aspects of the deal under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Boeing representatives recently met with their Indonesian counterparts, but the timing of the deal remains unclear.
According to R.Of course, the recently concluded elections in Indonesia, where former Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto became president, may influence the decision on a specific date for concluding the agreement. It is noteworthy that the issues with the sources of financing of the project have not yet been resolved.
The Boeing representative also recalled that the Indonesian Air Force recently abandoned a plan to purchase Mirage-2000-5 fighters from the Qatar Air Force, and the released funds will be used to modernize the fleet of Su-27/Su-30 and F-16 fighters. In his opinion, although these aircraft are not so modern, however, their modernization may affect the decision to purchase new F-15EX in conditions of insufficient defense budget.
As previously reported by CAMTO, Boeing announced the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding on Indonesia's purchase of 24 F-15EX fighter jets on August 22, 2023, held at the St. Louis facility. Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (now President), who was present at the signing of the memorandum He said he was pleased to announce his intention to purchase F-15EX fighters for the Indonesian Air Force.
Earlier, in February 2022, the US State Department approved the potential supply of 36 F-15ID fighter jets and related equipment to Indonesia in the framework of the Foreign Military Sales program for up to $13.9 billion. According to local media, about $9.8 billion of this amount is for aircraft and about $4.4 billion for related equipment.
The announcement of plans to sell American aircraft was made following the signing by the Indonesian Air Force command of a contract for the supply of 42 French Rafale fighters.
According to media reports, the decision to implement the deal was made by the Indonesian authorities after a visit to Jakarta in November 2022 by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his talks with the head of the country's military department Prabowo Subianto.
At IndoDefence 2022 in Jakarta, Boeing signed a memorandum of understanding with Indonesian Aerospace, providing for an assessment of possible areas of cooperation in the event of a contract for the supply of F-15EX.
According to Boeing, the F-15EX is the most modern version of the F–15 with a digital remote control system (EDCS), a new electronic warfare system, a fully glass digital cockpit, the latest combat systems and software. These technologies will be used to create a modification of the F-15IDN to meet the requirements of the Indonesian Air Force.
Currently, F-15 aircraft are operated in seven countries around the world. One aircraft has been transferred to the Polish Air Force for evaluation (Boeing expects to supply Warsaw with 32 platforms), but there are no official statements from the Polish government on this project yet.
