Indonesia confirms 2nd tranche order for 18 Rafale omni role fighters
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| The Dassault Rafale. Photo c/o Dassault Aviation. |
French aerospace company Dassault Aviation has confirmed on 10 August 2023 that it will be manufacturing and supplying Indonesia with a second tranche of Rafale fighters worth 18 aircraft.
This is part of a contract signed between the French and Indonesian defense ministries on February 2022 for the acquisition of a total of 42 Rafale fighters.
The order follows a first tranche of 6 Rafale fighters that was confirmed on September 2022, bringing the total number of aircraft ordered to date to 24 units.
According to Dassault Aviation, the acquisition of the Rafale for the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) includes a turnkey solution, and will also benefit the Indonesian aerospace sector as it will be receiving substantial industrial return that includes the support technical training and improvement of aeronautical technology.
Dassault Aviation also said that the new order represents the growing partnership between France and Indonesia.
The introduction of the Rafale fighter marks the expansion of the TNI-AU’s combat capabilities, as the new fighters not only replace older models like the retired Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II, but also represents the expansion of the combat fleet in terms of numbers.
For the past decades, the TNI-AU only maintains a small fighter fleet compared to the country’s size, but improvement of the Indonesian economy as well as growing regional threats have pushed the country to increase its investment in defense.
[2] Defence Connect
[3] Flight Global
Reviewed by Asia Pacific Defense Journal
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August 21, 2023
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