Jakarta. The Indonesian government and US aircraft maker Boeing have agreed to finalize the sale of 24 F-15EX fighter jets to Indonesia during a visit of Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto to the United States on Tuesday.

The purchase is subject to US government approval.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the purchase was signed by Air Vice Marshal Yusuf Jauhari, the ministry’s head of defense facilities agency, and Mark Sears, Boeing Fighters vice president and program manager, during a ceremony at Boeing’s St. Louis facility.

“We have invested years of expertise into developing the F-15EX capabilities. There is no other fighter like the F-15 in the world, and this platform will put Indonesia at the top of air dominance capabilities,” Sears said in a statement published on Boeing’s website. 

“Boeing is ready to support this effort and remains a committed partner to the U.S. government in advancing international security objectives with allies and partners around the world.”

Prabowo, who took a tour of the F-15EX production line at the facility prior to the signing, said the “state-of-the-art fighter will protect and secure our nation with its advanced capabilities”.

According to Boeing, the F-15EX is the most advanced version of the F-15 ever built, with digital fly-by-wire flight controls, a new electronic warfare system, an all-glass digital cockpit, and the latest mission systems and software capabilities, which will all be leveraged in delivering the new F-15IDN.

Currently, the F-15 is operated by seven countries around the world.