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Indonesia receives first batch of French-made Rafale jets

Indonesia receives first batch of French-made Rafale jets

by AFP Staff Writers
Jakarta (AFP) Jan 26, 2026

Indonesia has received its first three French-made Rafale fighter jets as part of a multibillion-dollar deal between the two countries, a defence ministry spokesman said Monday.

The jets are part of an $8.1 billion deal agreed in 2022 by then defence minister Prabowo Subianto to purchase 42 French-made Rafale fighters.

The three aircraft arrived in Indonesia on Friday and are currently at a military airbase in the Sumatran city of Pekanbaru, defence ministry spokesman Rico Ricardo Sirait said.

"The arrival of these Rafale (aircraft) is an important part of the modernisation of the Indonesian Air Force's defence equipment," Rico told AFP.

He added that the planes are "ready for use" by the air force as the administrative and technical handover process had been completed.

Prabowo, a former military general who was elected president in 2024, has sought to modernise Indonesia's ageing military assets.

In July 2025, Indonesia signed a contract with Turkey to buy 48 Kaan fighter jets.

During French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Jakarta last year, his then-armed forces minister Sebastien Lecornu said Indonesia signed a letter of intent to purchase more Rafale jets from French company Dassault Aviation, without specifying figures or a timeline.

Indonesia also pledged to buy light frigates and Scorpene submarines, as well as Caesar howitzers and ammunition from French-German defence group KNDS, Lecornu wrote on X.

mrc/tc/mtp

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