Indonesia Signs Deal To Buy 42 Rafale Fighters

Vishal Thapar Feb 10, 2022

France’s Dassault Aviation continued it hot streak in the global arms bazaar with the announcement on February 10 of a multi-billion Euro deal to sell 42 Rafale fighters to Indonesia.

The deal was announced by the French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly, who was present at the contract signing ceremony at Jakarta. “It's official: Indonesia orders 42 Rafale,” she declared in a series of Tweets.

“Our strategic partnership will benefit from the deepening of our defense relations. France is proud to contribute to the modernization of the armed forces of our partner, which plays a key role within ASEAN and in the Indo-Pacific,” the French Minister added.

Her Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subiantoclarified that while the agreement was for purchasing 42 Rafale fighters, the February 10 contract was for the purchase of the first lot of six.

“We agreed on the purchase of 42 Rafales. The contract signed today is for the first six, which will be followed by 36 others,” he was quoted by news agencies as saying.

The Indonesian order for the Rafale comes close on the heels of the heels of string of export contracts for the French jet fighter in 2021. Dassault won its biggest export order from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which announced the purchase of 80 Rafales in December following earlier deals with Greece and Croatia and a follow-on order from Egypt.

The string of successes positions Dassault favourably in its tussle with the German arm of Airbus to play a lead role in the joint development of the New Generation Fighter, slated to enter military service in 2040.

France and Germany have an air combat alliance which includes development of a new jet to replace the Rafale and the Eurofighter. Acknowledging an impasse over work share in the new fighter jet programme, Dassault CEO Eric Trappier in January insisted that Airbus accept Dassault as the leader for the development phase. A rival European fighter programme is led by BAE Systems, which has roped in Sweden’s Saab and Italy’s Leonardo as partners.

Indonesia is Rafale’s seventh importer, and the second in the Indo-Pacific after India. The other export customers are the UAE, which is the biggest Dassault customer with an order for 80 Rafales, Qatar, Egypt, Croatia and Greece.

This is Indonesia’s first order for French fighters as its seeks to replace an ageing fleet comprising mainly American F-16s and Russian Sukhois.

Indonesia was also reportedly in negotiations to buy about 30 American F-15s, and is partnering South Korea in developing a warplane.

The French Minister of the Armed Forces also made a reference to Indonesia’s decision to buy two Scorpene attack submarines. “Our cooperation also extends to the naval field: Indonesia has announced an intention to purchase two French-made "Scorpène" submarines,” she stated.

The French outreach to Indonesia is part of its focus on the Indo-Pacific, which has been reinforced after the AUKUS snub. The US, UK and Australia formed a security grouping in the Indo-Pacific, which not only left France out in the cold but also deprived it of a mega submarine contract with Australia.

“France has a role to play in this region: it has almost 2 million inhabitants and 9 million km2 (out of 11) of its exclusive economic zone (EEZ),” the French Minister insisted, projecting her country as a legitimate Indo-Pacific power. The Rafale contract was part of a series of agreements between France and Indonesia which included submarine development and ammunition manufacture.

Dassault’s shares went up 4 per cent after the signing of the Indonesian contract.

“The Rafale acquisition for the Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara (Indonesian National Army Air Force) includes a complete turnkey solution, with a comprehensive package that covers aircrew training, logistical support for several Indonesian air bases, and a training center with two full-mission simulators,” Dassault stated.

The contract was signed in Jakarta by Dassault’s Trappier and the Head of Defence Facilities Agencyof the Indonesian Ministry of Defence Air Vice Marshal Yusuf Jauhari. Ministers Subianto and Parlywere present at the signing ceremony. Dassault stated that the contract was “for the acquisition by Indonesia of 42 latest-generation Rafale aircraft”.

“Indonesian industry will benefit from a substantial industrial return, not only in the aeronautical sector, but also in all the other major areas of cooperation relating to the broad portfolio of dual technologies mastered by Dassault Aviation and its industrial partners, Safran Aircraft Engines and Thales,” the Dassault statement added.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo met Parly on Thursday and welcomed the signing of deals on submarine development, satellite procurement, and ammunition production.

"I hope that defence partnerships aren't just focused on munition purchases, but also keeping in mind the development and joint production, technological transfer, and investment in defence industries," the Indonesian President reportedly said.