3-1-2024 (JAKARTA) The Indonesian government has deferred its plan to acquire 12 Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets previously used by Qatar, citing limited fiscal capacity, according to a spokesperson for the defence minister.
Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak revealed this delay during a panel interview with broadcaster TV One earlier this week, noting that the decision was a joint outcome of discussions within the defence and finance ministries. He stated, “The government has postponed the purchase of Mirage jets because our fiscal capacity, for the time being, cannot support such a purchase.” Dahnil added that the military would instead focus on retrofitting its existing Sukhoi and F16 aircraft.
Despite repeated requests, Dahnil, along with spokespeople from the defence and finance ministries, did not provide comments to Reuters.
The agreement with a unit of Czech defence company Czechoslovak Group (CSG) to purchase the 12 Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets, announced in January 2023, was valued at 733 million euros ($801.68 million), according to the defence ministry. The secondhand jets were expected to be delivered within 24 months after the deal was inked. The intention was to deploy them while waiting for the arrival of the 42 Rafale fighter jets purchased by Jakarta in 2022 for $8.1 billion.
Criticism arose from some lawmakers regarding the Mirage jet acquisition due to the perceived age of the aircraft. Despite this, President Joko Widodo approved a 20% increase in defence spending until the end of 2024, allocating $25 billion to upgrade military hardware.
Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, a leading candidate in the upcoming February presidential elections, has been spearheading efforts to modernise the ageing military fleet. Initiatives include the procurement of 12 new drones from Turkish Aerospace and the acquisition of fighter jets and transport helicopters from U.S. companies Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
