The U.S. has indicated that it is willing to sell the newest F- 15 and F/A-18 fighter jet types to Indonesia.
Details of the potential purchase emerged during a recent visit of Christopher Miller, the U.S. Acting Secretary of Defense, to Jakarta to meet with Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto.
While the quantity of each fighter type that Indonesia will buy is yet to be specified, Rodon Pedrason, the director-general of defense strategy at Indonesia’s Ministry of Defense (MoD), said that his office has laid out a grand plan to purchase more than 100 jet fighters. If the plan materializes, the strength of the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) will reach about 170 fighter jets.
The procurement of the new fighter jets is intended to strengthen Indonesia’s ability to deter Chinese incursions into areas of the South China Sea around the Natuna Islands. The Trump administration has made it obvious that it believes that supporting the military needs of Southeast Asian countries is an effective way to curb’s China’s rising influence in the region.
Even though he desisted from giving a timeline, Pedrason said at a recent webinar that the MoD hopes the Indonesian government would provide between US$9-11 billion for new military hardware procurements over the next 20 years. He also revealed that Indonesia is considering to take soft loans from France, Turkey and several other friendly nations.
“(now) It is just a matter of our readiness to provide the budget” Pedrason added.
Indonesia has been eyeing an additional batch of F-16 jet fighters. It is also looking to replace its F-5E Tiger II fleet that was retired a few years ago.
It was previously indicated that TNI-AU has been considering to add up to two new squadrons of the newest F-16 block 72 – also known as F-16V. However, recent developments could mean that the plan is abandoned.
The ongoing talks between Indonesia and France for 36 new Rafale fighter jets, as well as with Austria for 15 of their operational Eurofighter Typhoons, are meant to provide replacement for the F-5E and as a stopgap until the arrival of the newer American jets. It is unclear whether the Su-35 deal with Russia is still on track or will be cancelled. The U.S. is reportedly trying to persuade Jakarta from going ahead with the Su-35 deal and has even threatened the country of sanctions if it did so.
The McDonell Douglass/Boeing F-15 Eagle is a Mach 2.5 capable, air superiority fighter jet that was first introduced into U.S Air Force’s service in 1976. It has been continuously improved over the decades and is still produced in its F-15EX Advanced Strike Eagle dual seater multi-role strike fighter version. It can be armed with up to 22 air to air missiles or more than 10 tons of ground attack weaponries.
The McDonell Douglass/Boeing F/A-18 Hornet is the main ground and carrier-based multi-role jet fighter of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. It was first introduced into service in 1983 and has undergone various improvements since then. The most recent F/A-18E/F Super Hornet variant can be armed with 8 tons of armaments for air to air and air to ground attack missions.
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