Indonesian Air Force Prepares Rafale Fighter Pilots Bought From France

Air Force Chief of Staff Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo while giving a press statement after the Indonesian Air Force Leadership Meeting at the Air Force Headquarters Cilangkap, East Jakarta, Friday (4/3/2022). ANTARA/HO-Dispenau

JAKARTA - The Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force (KSAU) Marshal TNI Fadjar Prasetyo is preparing special pilots to fly the 4.5 generation Dassault Rafale fighter jet that Indonesia bought from France.

"We have prepared several pilots, but we have not determined the number; but we have prepared the criteria and those who are eligible to depart," said Fadjar after the 2022 TNI Air Force Leadership Meeting at the Air Force Headquarters Cilangkap, East Jakarta, as reported by Antara. , Friday, March 4th.

According to the KSAU, the fighter pilots will receive training in France and Indonesia, before being placed in the existing squadrons.

However, the new placement for the jet unit is not easy because there are many requirements that must be met.

"Because placing air units is quite complex. There are several requirements that must be met, except that in the future we get orders to deploy where we will be ready," said Fadjar.

The Ministry of Defense (Kemhan) previously signed a cooperation contract for the purchase of six French-made 4.5-generation Dassault Rafale fighters.

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto said this after receiving an honorary visit from the Minister of the Armed Forces of the French Republic Florence Parly at the Ministry of Defense Office in Jakarta, Thursday, February 10.

According to Prabowo, Indonesia will buy a significant defense system main tool (alutsista) for multirole combat aircraft by acquiring 42 Rafale aircraft.

"We start today by signing the first contract for six planes," Prabowo said.

This will be followed by a contract for 36 more aircraft, with support for training in weapons and simulators as needed, he added.

In addition to the purchase of the aircraft, there was also the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Dassault and PT Dirgantara Indonesia, which agreed to maintain and repair French aircraft in Indonesia.

The Rafale is an all-role fighter or omnirole fighter that has been operated by France since 2004. Until 2018, France operates at least 132 Rafale aircraft for the Air Force and 48 units for the French Navy.

Several other countries are also interested in using the Rafale as their fighter aircraft, including Egypt which has 24 units, Qatar has 36 units, and India has 36 units.

The aircraft also regularly participates in multinational exercises such as Red Flag, ATLC, Tiger Meet, Maple Flag, Arctic Challenge, Pitch Black, and Bold Quest.

With a wingspan of 10.9 meters, 15.3 meters long and 5.3 meters high, the Rafale uses a twin turbofan engine coded M88, which is claimed to be able to penetrate a maximum speed of 1,389 km per hour with an operating altitude of 50,000 feet.