Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto presided over a handover ceremony at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in Jakarta on 18 May 2026, formally transferring six Dassault Rafale F4 multirole fighters, four Dassault Falcon 8X jets, one Airbus A400M MRTT, one Thales GM403 ground-controlled interception (GCI) radar, and initial deliveries of MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles (BVRAAMs) and Safran AASM Hammer precision-guided munitions to the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU).
The six Rafales were assigned to Skadron Udara 12, with Prabowo unveiling the squadron logo on the lead aircraft before handing keys to TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto.
The Rafales are the centrepiece of a contract signed on 10 February 2022 between Dassault Aviation and the Indonesian Ministry of Defence for 42 Rafale F4 aircraft in a package valued at approximately $8.1 billion. That deal was structured in three tranches: the first – covering six aircraft – entered into force in September 2022, a second tranche of 18 came into effect in August 2023, and the final batch of 18 was activated in January 2024.
The first three Rafales arrived at Roesmin Nurjadin Air Base in Pekanbaru on 23 January 2026, with the three additional aircraft delivered at Monday’s ceremony bringing the in-country total to six of 42 on order.
Financing for the second and third Rafale tranches drew on foreign loan facilities. In November 2022, the Indonesian Ministry of Finance authorised the Ministry of Defence to seek up to $3.9 billion in foreign loans – a sum that also covered the since-cancelled acquisition of 12 second-hand Mirage 2000-5 fighters from Qatar.
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The financing approach followed the model used for Indonesia’s 2012 purchase of 34 Nexter CAESAR howitzers, a €108 million deal financed through a bank loan in which Jakarta paid a 15 percent down payment and financed 85 percent through French commercial banks.
The four Falcon 8X jets are contractually bundled with the Rafale program. Indonesia’s acquisition of its first purchased Falcon 8X was described as “part of the initial contract for the procurement of Interim Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA), which also includes six Rafale fighter aircraft.”
The 17th Air Squadron at Halim had previously received loaned Falcon 7X and 8X airframes from Dassault in January 2023, followed by purchased units in November 2023 and August 2024. The four new jets consolidate Dassault as the principal supplier of Indonesia’s government transport fleet, with the State Secretariat indicating the aircraft will also support command and surveillance missions.
The A400M delivered on Monday is the second of two ordered at the November 2021 Dubai Airshow, with the contract becoming effective in 2022. The first – serial A-4001 – was handed over at Halim on 3 November 2025, making Indonesia the tenth A400M operator. Prabowo has stated he expects to acquire four more A400Ms – a prospect analysts have estimated could approach €2 billion – building on a letter of intent signed alongside the 2021 contract.
The Thales GM403 radar is drawn from a separate contract signed on 20 April 2022 between Thales and PT Len Industri for 13 GM403 GCI radars and SkyView command-and-control systems, with each unit priced at approximately $30 million – placing the total program in the region of $390 million. PT Len is manufacturing the octopack transmit/receive modules under a technology transfer arrangement.
The simultaneous delivery of Meteor BVRAAMs and AASM Hammer munitions confirms Indonesia has received the weapons ecosystem associated with the Rafale F4 standard – a package that extends to MICA missiles, SCALP-EG cruise missiles, and Exocet AM39 Block II anti-ship missiles. A letter of intent signed during Macron’s 2025 visit to Jakarta signalled follow-on orders for up to 24 additional Rafales, Scorpène submarines, and CAESAR howitzers – a deal that, if finalised, would position Indonesia among the largest non-European Rafale operators.
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