Indonesia will order 18 additional Rafale fighter jets from France as part of a $2.3-billion deal, according to a report by La Tribune, citing procurement sources.
The order is part of 42 aircraft Jakarta plans to purchase to modernize its air force.
According to the report, the Southeast Asian nation has already secured funding for the additional Rafales and to arm them with air-to-air missiles.
The deal could be formalized during a forthcoming visit to Paris by Indonesian defense minister Prabowo Subianto.
The order for the last tranche of 18 Rafale fighter jets is also expected to be announced in the coming months.
Prabowo signed a contract in September 2022 for the delivery of six Rafales worth $1.1 billion.
The Rafale Aircraft
Developed by Dassault Aviation, the Rafale is a twin-jet combat aircraft designed to support the French Navy and French Air Force.
Its state-of-the-art cockpit is equipped with a wide-angle holographic display that provides pilots with aircraft control data, mission data, and firing cues.
It also has an RBE2 passive electronically scanned radar from Thales to track up to eight targets simultaneously.
Additionally, the Rafale features a high-performance laser warning receiver, missile warning system, detection systems, and jammers.
It can carry AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, ASRAAM and AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, Apache missiles, and Harpoon anti-ship missiles.
The Rafales will replace Indonesia’s aging F-5 supersonic light fighter aircraft from Northrop Grumman.
