Purchase Of Rafale And F-15 EX Fighter Planes: Indonesia Pays A Very High Price To Escape The US Embargo

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto received an honorary visit from the Minister of the Armed Forces of the French Republic, Florence Parly. (PHOTO VIA BUREAU OF PR OF THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA)

JAKARTA - Within 24 hours, 10-11 February 2022, the Ministry of Defense (Kemenhan) will announce the purchase of fighter aircraft made by Western countries worth US$22 billion or around Rp. 315.2 trillion. The big contract includes the purchase of 42 Rafale light fighter jets from France worth 8.1 billion US dollars (Rp 116.04 trillion) and 13.9 billion US dollars (Rp 199.14 trillion) for 36 heavyweight F-15 Eagle EX fighter jets. from the United States.

The Indonesian Air Force's fleet is currently reinforced by 49 fighter jets, which are divided into four squadrons. With the addition of 72 Rafale jets and F-15s, Indonesia will not only rejuvenate its air combat force but will add a new fighter squadron. By 2024, Indonesia is expected to have eight squadrons of fighter jets, each with a capacity of 16 aircraft.

Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto with the Minister of the Armed Forces of the French Republic Florence Parly while witnessing the signing of the MoU between PT DI and Dassault (Photo: ANTARA/Syaiful Hakim)

The main strength of Indonesian fighter aircraft is currently supported by 33 F-16 Fighting Falcons and F-5 Tigers which are light class fighters, and 11 Sukhoi Su-27 and Su-30 from Russia which are heavy.

"We are very happy that Indonesia chose France as a partner in the defense equipment modernization program, especially for fighter aircraft. I am sure Indonesian companies can establish partnerships to support other TNI defense equipment modernization programs in order to develop Indonesia's national strategic industry," said Florence Parly, French Minister of Defense regarding the Rafale purchase contract by Indonesia as quoted by Antara.

Russia and Su-35 Shifted

In fact, in February 2018, Indonesia signed a contract for the procurement of Su-35 fighter aircraft from Russia. Indonesia plans to buy 11 Su-35s with a contract value of US$1.1 billion or around Rp. 15.7 trillion. The first delivery of the SU-35 is scheduled for late 2019, for further futures. But in the end the cooperation contract was cancelled.

“Regarding the Sukhoi SU-35, it is with a heavy heart, yes, we are canceling that plan. We can't keep talking about it," said Air Force Chief of Staff Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo on December 25, 2021.

The cancellation was due to threats from the United States, in the form of economic sanctions. The United States under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) passed in 2017, will sanction any country that buys weapons from Russia. CAATSA was ratified six months before Indonesia signed the contract for the purchase of the Su-35 from Russia.

CAATSA is really leveraging the position of the United States as a superpower, which is at the heart of the world's financial system to influence global arms sales. America has the right to threaten anyone who buys weapons from Russia with the threat of economic war.

The Sukhoi Su-35 fighter plane which was canceled by Indonesia from Russia. (Photo: Wikipedia)

Whereas in 2018, the United States Defense Minister at that time, James Norman Mattis said that Indonesia would not be subject to an embargo sanction due to the purchase of the Su-35 from Russia. The reality experienced by Indonesia is different, because America has issued an embargo threat.

Indonesia has experienced an embargo from the United States after being deemed to have committed gross human rights violations in East Timor in 1999. Uncle Sam's country stopped the supply of spare parts for Indonesian military equipment, which since the late 1960s had been oriented to the United States. F-5 Tiger and F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter planes have difficulty flying due to the embargo.

Therefore, the policy of purchasing weapons, including combat aircraft, then shifted to Russia. Indonesia is diversifying its fighter aircraft fleet by buying Su-27 and Su-30 from Russia. But then America has CAATSA, which has proven effective in putting pressure on any country in the world that tries to turn its arms purchases to Russia.

Western grip on Southeast Asia

The presence of France in Indonesia further strengthens the hegemony of the Western bloc in Southeast Asia. The choice of France as a supplier of fighter aircraft for Indonesia, clearly replaced Russia, which all had flowers.

France will be the main supplier of light fighter aircraft, while for heavy fighter aircraft will remain the United States share with the F-15 EX. The sale of the Rafale to Indonesia particularly benefited the United States, which not only succeeded in getting rid of Russia but also strengthened the defenses of its allies.

The Rafale fighter of the Greek Air Force. (Photo: Dassault Aviation/V. Almonsa)

America is struggling to reconcile France and Australia, which are at odds over Australia's cancellation of the purchase of French submarines. Now with the purchase of 42 Rafales by Indonesia, France's position is safe again.

For Indonesia, the price to redeem the threat of US embargo sanctions through CAATSA is very expensive. The purchase of 42 Rafales, which cost 193 million US dollars per plane, will definitely drain the state's finances. Not to mention the F-15 EX, which is one of the most expensive fighter aircraft in the world, with a price per piece reaching US$386 million. Compare that with the Su-35 which costs 100 million US dollars per aircraft.

Indonesia's decision to buy the Rafale and F-15 EX is a testament to the strength of the United States' economic grip on Mother Earth. Only by threatening, America and its allies can get very much advantage, in this case the military industry.

F-15 aircraft. (Photo: William R. Lewis/US Air Force)

It should be noted that the purchase of fighter aircraft by Indonesia with a total value of up to 22 billion US dollars almost equals the war equipment budget of the two largest clients of American-made weapons in Asia, namely Saudi Arabia and Japan. Even so, the decision to buy the very expensive Indonesian National Armed Forces Weapon System (Alutsista) still gets praise.

"The purchase of fighter aircraft from various countries such as from France and the United States is an accurate strategy to implement balancing of power at the regional and global levels," said military observer Susaningtyas Kertopati regarding the purchase of 42 Rafale fighter aircraft and 36 F-15 EX as quoted by Reuters. Between.