On 18 May, the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) formally accepted a bunch of new equipment, ranging from fighters to transport aircraft to a radar. The TNI-AU said the new equipment would “strengthen air superiority and strategic mobility, support long-range operations and sustain national air power”.
At the ceremony at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force in Jakarta were six Dassault Rafale fighters and four Falcon 8X aircraft, one Airbus A400M transport aircraft and one Thales GM403 ground control intercept radar. The French-built fighters were accompanied by weaponry such as AASM Hammer air-to-ground missiles and MBDA Meteor air-to-air missiles.
In attendance was President Prabowo Subianto, who asserted, “We must continue to improve our defence forces as a deterrent. We have no other interest than to protect our own territory.”
The TNI-AU’s first batch of Rafales will be flown by Air Squadron 12, which is based at Roesmin Nurjadin Air Base on Sumatra. The first three fighters arrived on Indonesian shores in January, and another trio in May. They comprise four twin-seat Rafale Bs and two single-seat Rafale Cs.
Indonesia has ordered its 42 Rafales in batches, so this handover marks completion of the first batch of six aircraft. The contract for that particular batch came into effect in September 2022. The second batch comprises 18 Rafales, with that contract being implemented in August 2023.
Indonesian A400Ms are configured as multirole tanker transports. Following a 2021 order, the TNI-AU had previously received its first A400M in November 2025, while the second unit arrived in March this year.
As for the quartet of Falcon 8Xs, these will be allocated roles such as VVIP transport, command missions and surveillance.
The Indonesian Air Force said the ground-based GM403 radar will “increase the effectiveness of detection, control and response of air operations in a more integrated and adaptive manner to the dynamics of the strategic environment in the region”. He Thales sensor will provide early detection of airborne threats, and enable cueing of assets like Rafales to intercept them.
The TNI-AU promised it would obtain 25 new air surveillance radars to close blind spots in its airspace coverage. Based on an April 2022 contract, 13 GM400α radars are coming from Thales, with support from PT Len Industri, and these will replace old radar types at strategic locations.
Meanwhile, the remaining twelve radars are coming from Retia in the Czech Republic and these will help eliminate blind spots. This more effective air surveillance network is to be completed by 2029.
All these pieces of equipment had been ordered when Prabowo had been the country’s defence minister.
by Gordon Arthur
