Jakarta. France is happy to see that Indonesia will soon operate similar arms as Paris, according to its diplomat, as Jakarta counts down to the arrival of the French-made Rafale fighter jets in early 2026.

The Southeast Asian country has bought a total of 42 Rafale jets, which the French military aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation will send in tranches. Just a month ago, the Airbus A400M Atlas — Indonesia’s largest transport aircraft — landed in Jakarta, with the second unit expected to arrive next year. These major defense purchases have become a focal point in Indonesia-France bilateral links, and Paris wants to further bolster this partnership.

“We will keep reinforcing the cooperation [with Indonesia] in the field of defense and security,” French Ambassador Fabien Penone said in Jakarta on Tuesday, when asked about Paris’ plans for 2026.

“You recently got the first A400M, and the first Rafale fighter jets will arrive at the beginning of next year. We are working on submarines. So basically, we will have the same equipment,” Penone told the press.

Dassault Aviation recently handed over a number of facilities key to Rafale operations — including a simulation center and parachute building — to the Indonesian Air Force. The Rafale jets were also a key topic when the French Defense Procurement Agency’s top brass, Gaël Diaz De Tuesta, visited the Indonesian Air Force last week.

Jakarta revealed at the time that the first arrival of the Rafale jets was slated for late January 2026. However, the statement showed that there could be some changes to the schedule. The Air Force said in September that the delivery of the first three twin-engine, multirole fighters would take place between February and March.

On maritime defense, Indonesia’s shipbuilder PAL has teamed up with France’s Naval Group to supply two Scorpène submarines.

President Prabowo Subianto  — a retired army general —  had hosted his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron back in May. It was during Macron’s Jakarta visit that both nations inked a strategic defense pact. They also signed a cooperation agreement related to jointly protecting defense-related classified information. Macron said at the time that the agreements could open up “new perspectives for new orders of Rafale, Scorpène, as well as light frigates.”