Jakarta cites urgent need while waiting for Rafale, F-15 deliveries
A Qatari Mirage 2000-5 fighter in 2011: Indonesia has struck a deal to purchase 12 of the jets. © Reuters
Indonesia’s Defense Ministry on Thursday confirmed a $792 million purchase of 12 Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets used by Qatar, citing an urgent need amid rising tensions in the South China Sea.
The ministry said the purchase contract was signed earlier this year with Excalibur International, a unit of Czech defense company Czechoslovak Group, for delivery in two years.
The Mirage aircraft, manufactured by French company Dassault Aviation, were previously used by the Qatari Air Force.
The Indonesian Defense Ministry decided to make the purchase because the first three out of six Rafale jets it agreed to buy from France last year will only be delivered in January 2026. Those planes are also manufactured by Dassault.
In the meantime, negotiations continue on the details of a planned purchase of F-15 fighters from the U.S., which agreed to sell them to Indonesia shortly after the Rafale deal.
Explaining the flurry of moves to acquire jets, the ministry said that many aging aircraft in the Indonesian Air Force have entered retirement, while a number of others need to be upgraded, overhauled or repaired.