This handout photo released by Boeing on August 22, 2023 shows then Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto sitting in the cockpit of an F-15EX jet following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) committing to the sale on August 21, 2023 between Indonesian airforce and Boeing officials at the company's St Louis facility. Indonesia and US aircraft manufacturer Boeing have agreed a deal for the sale of two dozen F-15EX fighter jets as Southeast Asia's biggest economy moves to modernise its fleet, Jakarta's defence minister said on August 22. - AFP
JAKARTA: Boeing has promised to meet 85 per cent local content requirements if the government purchases the planemaker’s F-15EX fighter jets. The commitment was made by Boeing South-East Asia president Penny Burtt in a media briefing on Tuesday (April 15).
“Should Indonesia choose [to purchase] the F-15EX, Boeing will deliver on its 85 per cent local content and offset commitments, aligned with national defence and industrial priorities,” said Burtt in the briefing.
Boeing seeks to involve local industry in the fighter jet’s supply chain and training as well as maintenance, repair and operations. Regarding terms of trade, Burtt said: “We haven’t heard any specific requests from Indonesia.”
According to the company, the F-15EX is the most advanced version of the F-15 fighter jet, which is currently operated by seven countries. The fighter jet, according to a fact sheet released on Tuesday, has an increased payload capacity of 23 total weapons stations which enable it to engage multiple targets simultaneously and conduct a wide range of missions per sortie, including air superiority, interdiction and close air support.
The payload also offers options for new weapons integration and the ability to meet long-range strike requirements. The sheet claimed that the F-15EX could carry five times the weight of air-to-ground munitions “compared to other fighters”, alongside six times the number of air-to-air missiles, twice the amount of cannon ammunition, double the amount of fly time and 1.5 times the speed, all while operating at about half the cost.
In August 2023, then-defense minister Prabowo Subianto witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between an official from his office and Boeing fighters vice president and programme manager Mark Sears after touring the fighter’s production facility in St. Louis, Missouri, the United States.
The F-15EX purchased by Indonesia would be given a special code name F-15IDN, the Defence Ministry said. Neither the ministry nor Boeing provided the value of the sale, but Boeing said at the time it was still subject to US government approval.
In February 2022, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), an agency under the US Department of Defence, announced the possible sale of the F-15EX and related equipment to Indonesia was valued at up to US$13.9 billion. The commitment signing in Missouri came after then-Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin visited Jakarta in November 2022 for negotiations over the deal.
Prabowo said at the time that the F-15 purchase plan had entered an advanced stage pending approval from the government. Indonesia has long been seeking to replace its aging air fleet, mainly consisting of US-made F-5 Tiger jets, British-made Hawk 109/209 jets and Sukhoi Su-27 and Su-30 jets from Russia.
Some Boeing suppliers were already based in Indonesia, producing things such as composite linings and wing components for commercial aircraft, Brendan Nelson, senior vice president of The Boeing Company and president of Boeing Global told The Jakarta Post in May 2023.
The company at that time said it was exploring opportunities to grow its supply base, including the possibility for having them procured from Indonesia. “In the longer term, we may find opportunities to support manufacturing components for our aircraft here,” Nelson said.
The planemaker sees Indonesia and Asean as an important market for security, as well as for its military hardware, citing that as nations get more prosperous they have more ability to afford significant military purchases. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
