Indonesia receives its first 3 Dassault Rafale fighter jets
January 27, 2026
Just weeks after Indonesia formally accepted its first Airbus A400M Atlas strategic/tactical airlifter, Reuters reports that Indonesia has received its first Dassault Rafale fighter jets.
First three Rafales delivered to Indonesia
The handover appears to be a Reuters exclusive, with the outlet reporting, “Indonesia has received three Rafale fighter jets from France in the first deliveries… a defence ministry official told Reuters on Monday.” Reuters cited Defence Ministry spokesperson Rico Ricardo Sirait.
As of the time of writing, Dassault Aviation does not appear to be reporting the event. Indonesia has placed orders for up to 42 Rafales as well as French frigates and submarines.
Indonesia signed an order in February 2022 for 42 Rafales divided into three tranches (6 + 18 +18). These contracts took effect sequentially (February 2022, August 2023, January 2024). In 2025, La Tribune reported Indonesia could purchase up to 24 additional Rafale fighters.
Dassault reported delivering 26 Rafales in 2025, including 15 examples for export and 11 for France; this was up from 21 delivered in 2024. Dassault also received orders for another 26 Rafales in 2025, meaning it started 2026 with a backlog of 220 Rafales (175 export and 45 for France).
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Indonesia’s push to diversify its suppliers
Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto is a former special forces commander, and he is driving a major modernization push of the Indonesian military.
As Indonesia is a non-aligned state, it seeks to avoid being overly dependent on any one international supplier for its arms purchases, as that could give that country significant leverage. A similar rationale is part of the driving force behind India’s current push to diversify away from Russian gear and purchase Rafales.
Highlighting how important diversification of suppliers is to Indonesia, the country has reportedly informed Turkey that purchasing the 48 KAANs is conditional on Turkey ensuring the aircraft is independent of US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
If Indonesia is serious about that requirement, it will be a very tall order for Turkey to overcome, and would make it unlikely that any would be delivered before 2036. It would also suggest that aircraft like the Saab Gripen or Indian Tejas would be unappealing to the country.
Indonesia’s dizzying assortment of combat aircraft
The Indonesian Air Force currently includes F-16, Sukhoi Su-30/27, BAE Hawk 200s, Embraer EMB 314, and KAI T-50 Golden Eagle fighter jets and light attack aircraft.
Indonesia is purchasing, or negotiating to purchase, Chinese J-10Cs, Sino-Pakistani JF-17s, American F-15EXs, South Korean/Indonesian KF-21s, French Rafales, Turkish KAANs, and possibly ex-Italian AV-8B Harrier IIs as part of purchasing the Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi.
Indonesia attempted to purchase more Russian fighter jets, but was stopped by the US CAATSA Act. It also requested to purchase F-35s, only to be rebuffed and offered the F-15EX instead.
Having multiple types of fighter jets in service creates a logistical nightmare, and most mid-sized air forces (e.g., the RAF, French Air Force) try to limit the types to two or at most three.
It is unclear how many of these fighter jets will ultimately be financed and delivered to Indonesia. And it’s a separate question as to how well Indonesia will be able to maintain the separate logistical and training pipelines needed to keep these aircraft combat-worthy.
For now, these three Rafales appear to be the first high-end fighter jets to arrive in Indonesia as part of its wider modernization and diversification drive.
