Indonesia Boosts Defences With New Fighter Jets

Jakarta, Indonesia: Indonesia will continue boosting its defence capabilities, President Prabowo Subianto said Monday, citing uncertain times as he presented new military hardware, including six French-made Rafale jets, to the air force.

The Southeast Asian nation, which pursues a policy of diplomatic non-alignment, must "continue to improve our defence capabilities to serve as a deterrent", Prabowo told reporters at a ceremony at a military air base in Jakarta.

He said Indonesia does "not have any interests other than protecting our own territory".

"We observe that the global geopolitical landscape is fraught with uncertainty, and we recognise that defence is a primary prerequisite for stability," he added.

Prabowo inspected defence equipment recently procured for the Indonesian military, including four Dassault Falcon 8X jets and an Airbus A400M Atlas transport aircraft, according to a presidential palace statement.

Jakarta signed an $8.1 billion deal in 2022 under then-defence minister Prabowo to purchase 42 French-made Rafale fighters. Six of the jets have been delivered so far -- three in January and another three on Monday, defence ministry spokesman Rico Ricardo Sirait told AFP.

"The government views the strengthening of defence equipment not merely as the procurement of combat platforms, but as a strategic investment aimed at safeguarding sovereignty, national honour and national defence readiness," Rico said.

Prabowo, a former military general who came to power in 2024, has sought to modernise Indonesia's ageing military assets.

He met French President Emmanuel Macron last month in Paris, where the leaders discussed bolstering strategic cooperation, including through the "procurement of defence equipment and the strengthening of the defence industry", according to an Indonesian government statement.

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