Jakarta. Indonesia has no plans to place a new order for the French-made Rafale fighter jets at this stage, according to the Defense Ministry, despite a recent leaders’ meeting on arms procurement.

In 2022, President Prabowo Subianto, then defense minister, inked an $8.1 billion contract for 42 units of the twin-jet fighter aircraft developed by French aerospace giant Dassault Aviation. However, Prabowo’s meeting with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris on Tuesday local time revived speculation about additional Rafale purchases. The Indonesian government posted on social media that the meeting revolved around “military procurement and strengthening the defense industry”, further raising hopes for new contracts.

Defense Ministry spokesman Rico Ricardo Sirait later told the Jakarta Globe that the bilateral talks were only a general overview of the defense cooperation.

“There are no technical details that we can give for now. But to this day, [Indonesia] has not made a decision to acquire more Rafale units. The government is still reviewing the idea,” Rico told the Globe via text on Wednesday night.

The 42 Rafale units will join the Indonesian Air Force’s fleet in stages, with the first three planes having already arrived in January. Rico also revealed that France would deliver the next batch — also comprising three units — in “early May”. 

The 2022 contract states that the jets will offer a turnkey solution — in other words, they are ready for immediate use. The package also covers aircrew training, logistical support for several Indonesian airbases, and a training center with two full-mission simulators.

Prabowo is on a mission to upgrade Indonesia’s ageing fleet, as seen in the mammoth-sized defense budget and fresh contracts. The 2026 state budget allocates Rp 337 trillion (roughly $19.7 billion) for defense. In his first year, the Prabowo administration agreed to order 48 KAAN fighter jets from Turkey. Macron also seems to have noticed Prabowo’s aggressive military modernization agenda. In May 2025, both governments inked a preliminary defense pact that Macron said could “open up a new perspective with new orders for Rafales”.

Add as a preferred source on Google +