Jakarta. France is teaching Indonesian pilots how to refuel their Rafale fighter jets mid-air, as Jakarta gets used to the newly bought aircraft.

The French Air Force has brought three of its A330 tankers to Pégase 2026, its flagship mission meant to highlight Paris’ airpower. The Pégase is also sending four Rafale fighters and two A400M airlifters on a 40-000-kilometer journey, crossing three continents.

The team is now making a stopover in Indonesia, France's top arms client in ASEAN.

On Tuesday, the mission took several Indonesian reporters — including the Jakarta Globe’s Jayanty Nada Shofa — on a “joy flight” or a sightseeing tour aboard the Airbus A330 tanker.

As seen through the aircraft’s window, the A330 transferred fuel onto the French Rafales through a hose.

Although Indonesia already operates six Rafale fighters, Jakarta’s warplanes did not actually refuel mid-flight using the A330 that morning. 

Satriyo Utomo, the deputy assistant for operations at the Indonesian Air Force, said that the mission mainly focused on providing “refueling simulation”. He explained that “direct contact” or actual refueling operations would be scheduled for future programs, without disclosing more details. 

“So our Rafale [pilots] are now focusing on understanding the theory. Hopefully, they can implement what they have learnt here on the ground,” Satriyo told the press at the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base.

“Fighter jets have to refuel mid-air for longer flights.”

Julien Sabéné, the commander of the 2026 Pégase, acknowledged that in-flight refueling would require extensive training.

“We are showing them [Indonesia] the procedures,” Sabéné said, while describing the A330 as the “best aircraft for air-to-air refueling”.

Colonel Jean-Cristophe Guillet-Loma of the French Air Force told the Globe that refueling operations involving the Indonesian Rafale jets would require a “technical arrangement”. It is also something for the jetmaker Dassault Aviation to discuss with the Indonesian side.

“Dassault is in charge of teaching the crew how to refuel. It's not something that is planned for this week's mission,” he said. 

Indonesia’s 6 Rafales were part of an $8.1 billion deal that included a total of 42 units. Dassault Aviation plans to send the rest in batches.

Jakarta has not sealed a deal for the A330, but already owns two units of the A400M transport planes that were also made by the European aerospace giant Airbus.

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