Rafale, Caesar cannons, Scorpène submarines... The Indonesian army has become the "little sister" of the French army in Asia
Recent Indonesian arms orders have been good news for French manufacturers: two A400M transport aircraft (Airbus Defence & Space) in 2021, 42 Rafale (Dassault Aviation) in 2022, 13 GM400 long-range surveillance radars (Thales) and two Scorpène submarines (Naval Group) in 2024. The Indonesian armed forces have also had Caesar guns (KNDS, ex-Nexter) since 2012.
The A400Ms are scheduled for delivery at the end of the year, with the first Indonesian Rafales expected in early 2026.
Discussions are still underway regarding a possible purchase of A330 MRTT air-to-air refueling and transport aircraft (Airbus), which the French Air and Space Force already flies.
"Once this equipment is delivered, Indonesia will be the partner with which the French armed forces will have the largest amount of shared equipment in the region," explained Captain Nicolas Rossignol, head of the Asia, Oceania, and Latin America department of the DGRIS, during a press briefing at the Ministry of the Armed Forces.
Armaments Contracts and Industrial Partnerships
Emmanuel Macron's recent visit to Indonesia at the end of May was a further illustration of this growing cooperation: Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu signed letters of intent with his counterpart Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin to acquire additional equipment. If the negotiations are successful, they could lead to the purchase of Rafale fighter jets, light frigates, Scorpène submarines, and Caesar cannons.
The time since the signing of these letters of intent seems a little short to announce a firm contract during the Indonesian president's visit, but nothing is out of the question.
La France et l'Indonésie célèbrent en 2025 le 75ème anniversaire de leur coopération bilatérale. Invitée d'honneur du 14-Juillet, l'Indonésie est un partenaire de premier plan de la France dans la zone Indo-Pacifique.
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