Qatar’s Used Fighter Jets: The contentious proposal to acquire 12 secondhand Mirage 2000-5 fighter planes from Qatar has been put on hold, according to the Indonesian Defence Ministry. According to Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, a spokesman for the ministry, this is because of restricted funding.
He clarified that the Defence and Finance ministries were the ones who made the decision. According to Reuters, Dahnil said, “The government has delayed the purchase of Mirage jets because our fiscal capacity, for the time being, cannot support such a purchase,” at a private TV station event on Thursday, January 4.
Dahnil clarified, however, that the ministry will instead do a refit for the current F16 and Sukhoi aircraft, which would include adding new features or technologies to the outdated system. Reuter’s request for explanation received no response from Dahnil or the Finance Ministry.
Japan, the UK, and Italy establish a joint initiative to develop advanced fighter jets
Qatar’s Used Fighter Jets
According to reports, in January 2023, Indonesia and the Czech defence corporation Czechoslovak Group (CSG) inked a deal for the procurement of 12 Mirage 2000-5 fighter planes. At an anticipated conversion rate of Rp16,966 per euro, the purchase was valued at 733 million euros, or Rp12.4 trillion.
The used aircraft would be delivered 24 months after the contract was signed, according to the agreement. The acquisition would take place as the government waits for the US$8.1 billion delivery of 42 Rafale combat planes in 2022.
Lawmakers have been criticising the jets more and more because they believe they are antiquated. To upgrade the nation’s military hardware, President Joko Widodo, often known as Jokowi, ordered a 20 percent increase in defence budget, reaching US$25 billion by the end of 2024. Nevertheless, the acquisition of the Mirage planes was postponed.
Prabowo Subianto, the Minister of Defence for Indonesia, is a candidate in the next presidential election set for February 14, 2024. Throughout his tenure, he has been in charge of modernising the nation’s ageing military fleet, which has included buying fighter planes and transport helicopters from American firms Boeing and Lockheed Martin, as well as 12 new drones from Turkish Aerospace.
