US willing to sell latest F-15 Eagle, F/A-18 Super Hornet to Indonesia

A US Navy Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet (foreground) and a US Air Force Boeing F-15D Eagle fighter aircraft.

The US Department of Defense supports the possibility of selling the latest F-15 Eagle and F/A-18 Super Hornet twin-engine fighter aircraft to the Indonesian government, according to Indonesian defense officials.

According to a report by Nikkei Asia, visiting US Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller met with his Indonesian counterpart, Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, where discussions about the potential sale of the Boeing F-15 and F/A-18 fighter aircraft were made.

A request was also made for the sale of F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters, but the US was not positive on it due to the long duration for the aircraft to be delivered.

This new development gives the Indonesian government more options as it plans to acquire more fighter aircraft and expand the combat capability of the Indonesian Air Force.

Currently the Indonesian Ministry of Defence (MOD) were reported to be in advanced stages of negotiation with France for the procurement of 36 Dassault Rafale fighters, while also discussing with the Austrian Defense Ministry for 15 used EF-2000 Eurofighter Tranche 1 fighters.

It also has a pending contract for 11 Sukhoi Su-35 fighters from Russia.

Acting Sec. Miller’s discussions with Min. Subianto included the security issues in the South China Sea and territorial disputes with China, as well as training between US and Indonesian military forces.



[1] Nikkei Asia