Indonesia has ordered 42 French Rafale fighters and plans to buy submarines

Indonesia and France have stepped up defense cooperation and will order 42 Rafale fighter jets from France.

Indonesia and France announced the news during a visit by the French defense minister to Indonesia, Al Jazeera reported on February 10. Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo said at a press conference, "We have signed contracts for 6 aircraft today and will soon sign contracts for another 36, along with the necessary support and simulators." French Defense Minister Pali also said on social platforms that Indonesia will buy 42 Rafale fighters.

France is currently seeking to expand geopolitical ties in the so-called "Indo-Pacific" region, where Indonesia is the second country to buy Rafale fighter jets. The Rafale fighter jet was manufactured by the French company Dassault, and Croatia, Greece, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and other countries have purchased the fighter.

According to Reuters, Indonesia has also signed a memorandum of understanding with France to cooperate in the development of submarines, and Indonesia plans to order 2 "Scorpene" class conventional submarines manufactured by the French Naval Group.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said he hopes that Indonesia's defense cooperation with France is not limited to procurement, but also includes joint manufacturing, technology transfer, defense industry investment and so on.

Last year, the United States, Britain, and Australia announced the establishment of a new trilateral security partnership "AUKUS", which will cooperate with the United States and Britain to build nuclear submarines in Australia and tear up the order for regulated submarines signed with France. Indonesia's foreign ministry said at the time that Indonesia was "very concerned about the ongoing arms race in the region and the projection of military power."

Source: The Paper