Jakarta: Deputy Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General (retd.) M. Herindra, has said that the purchase of 42 Rafale fighter aircraft made by France’s Dassault Aviation has marked a new history in defense equipment procurement in Indonesia.
The policy of purchasing 42 fighter aircraft was first implemented in Indonesia during Prabowo Subianto’s term as defense minister, Herindra added.
“There has never been a history of weapon procurement during the existence of this republic amounting to 42 units. It has only happened in Minister Subianto’s era,” he highlighted during a discussion in Jakarta on Friday.
According to Herindra, such a procurement cannot happen overnight. The intake of the 42 Rafale fighter aircraft may be completed over the next seven years.
Therefore, to bridge the existing gap, his ministry is seeking to purchase fighter aircraft that can be sent quickly.
This has led it to exercise the option of purchasing used fighter aircraft from other countries, such as the Mirage 2000-5 from the Qatar Air Force, he informed.
“While waiting for the new one, we must fill the void with other proper aircraft,” he said.
According to him, the Defense Minister is concerned about purchasing new defense equipment. However, the procurement may take a long time. In addition, Subianto is concerned about maintaining the performance of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) and making TNI more optimal and professional with the help of advanced weaponry systems.
“We will give our best. The procurement of war equipment requires a bottom-up mechanism. We ask the need of our soldiers, they submit it to us, and we try to fulfill it by considering our budget,” he explained.
The Rafale fighter jet is a 4.5-generation fighter aircraft, which is being used by member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The latest generation fighter jets are capable of carrying out several roles and functions, including air defense, close air support, in-depth attacks, air reconnaissance, and anti-ship attacks.
