Indonesia is negotiating to acquire the UAE Mirage 2000-9

Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto said he would immediately send a negotiating team to the United Arab Emirates to explore opportunities for purchasing the Mirage 2000-9 fighter jet.

Prabowo explained the plan to purchase the Mirage 2000-9 combat aircraft from the UAE Air Force to ensure the combat readiness of the Indonesian Air Force and Air Defense when several combat aircraft of the Indonesian Air Force go through a period of renovation and repair.

Prabowo Subianto said during a press conference at the Defense Ministry office, Jakarta, Monday: “The UAE also has a Mirage, Mirage 2000-9. We will immediately send the negotiating team on this matter, because we have to convince them that we are willing to have it.”

Prabowo is optimistic that Indonesia could buy the fighter jet produced by Dassault Aviation from France, due to the good relations between Indonesia and the UAE.

Prabowo said: “At the moment it is kind of a struggle because many countries need more. Yes, we thank God (we have) good relations with the Middle East, Qatar and the Emirates. So we come first.”

The Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Defense, is in the process of purchasing 12 Mirage 2000-5 aircraft and their supporting equipment from Qatar in a contract signed on January 31, 2023.

It is scheduled that 12 Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets purchased from Qatar will be sent to Indonesia 24 months after the contract becomes effective. The aircraft will reinforce the 1st Air Squadron at Subadio Air Base, Pontianak, West Kalimantan.

The Indonesian Defense Minister said: “It is a long period (24 months). Hopefully it will be sent sooner.”

Many combat aircraft of the Indonesian Air Force, such as the F-5 Tiger, SU-27/30, Hawk 100/200 and F-16, are in the process of modernization/refurbishment and overhaul so the Indonesian Air Force needs ready-to-use combat aircraft during the repair period of some These planes.

The Indonesian defense minister said, “The purchase of the Mirage is a temporary solution. Our current aircraft are very old and need to be developed. We are negotiating with a team to purchase the Mirage 2000-9 from the Emirates, which is a very advanced aircraft.”

He explained that the renewal process takes at least 18 months.

At the same time, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Indonesia purchased several new combat aircraft, namely the “Dassault Rafale” fighters, which are also manufactured by Dassault Aviation, and the F-15 Super Eagle fighters.

Three new Dassault Rafale aircraft are scheduled to arrive in Indonesia within 36 months or the next 3 years. Meanwhile, the F-15 Super Eagle purchase is still in the US government’s Letter of Offer and Acceptance discussion stage, given that the F-15 was purchased under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) scheme.

“The new aircraft for which we have signed contracts, especially the Rafale aircraft from France, are the first to arrive in 36 months, and the average completion time is about 60 months. Therefore, it will not enter service until after 60 months or 5 years.”

Thus, in that period of time, and especially in the next three years, the Indonesian Air Force needs combat aircraft to maintain the Indonesian air defenses.

So, now, for the next three years, we need combat aircraft as a form of defense for a very big and rich country. Our country is as big as Europe, so our area is very wide. Imagine a large, vast country that does not have operational combat aircraft.”