The meeting took place at the TNI AU Headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, on Tuesday (December 9), according to Head of the TNI AU Information Center Air Vice Marshal I Nyoman Suadnyana.
"Among the things discussed during the meeting were preparations for the arrival of Rafale fighter jets in Indonesia in late January 2026, including supporting training programs and infrastructure development at Roesmin Nurjadin Air Base in Pekanbaru," he told ANTARA on Thursday.
In addition to advancing the delivery of the military aircraft, manufactured by France’s Dassault Aviation, the two figures also touched upon preparations for the 2026 Pegase joint exercise.
"Moreover, the meeting covered defense cooperation between Indonesia and France, with a special focus on defense equipment modernization and the strengthening of air defense capacity of the TNI AU," Suadnyana added.
The officer concluded by expressing hope that the bilateral meeting will contribute to stepping up cooperation between Indonesia and France, as well as their armed forces.
On September 13, TNI AU Chief of Staff Air Chief Marshal Mohamad Tony Harjono highlighted that Indonesia, through the Ministry of Defense, has ordered a total of 42 units of the French-made 4.5-generation fighter jets.
He stated that the new jets will join an existing fleet that includes T-50, Hawk 100/200, Sukhoi Su-30, and F-16 fighter aircraft, beefing up the TNI AU’s combat readiness and air defense posture.
Harjono noted that the first batch of three Rafale aircraft is expected to arrive in Indonesia in early 2026, followed by another batch of three around April.
He also underlined that the TNI AU has begun constructing maintenance infrastructure and training specialized technical personnel to support the jets’ operations.
The TNI AU leader then conducted a firsthand review of the supporting infrastructure development at Roesmin Nurjadin Air Base in Pekanbaru City, Riau, on September 22.
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Translator: Walda M, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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