A United States Air Force F-15EX Eagle II fighter jet assigned to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida flies on Nov 2, 2024, near Jacksonville, Florida, the US. - Shutterstock/Faizinraz
JAKARTA: Indonesia has failed to realiSe its plan to acquire F-15EX fighter jets from United States aircraft manufacturer Boeing, ending a prominent defence procurement deal aimed to modernise the country’s military equipment that has stagnated for years.
An official from the manufacturer confirmed on Tuesday (Feb 3) that Boeing is no longer continuing the sale of the fighter jets to Indonesia, nearly three years after the government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to acquire 24 F-15EXs in 2023.
“In terms of our [F-15] partnership with Indonesia, it is no longer an active campaign for us,” said Bernd Peters, vice president of business development and strategy for Boeing’s defense, space and security division, at the Singapore Airshow as quoted by Reuters.
Peters declined to give details, saying further questions should be directed to the American and Indonesian governments.
Despite the failed deal on the fighter jets, Boeing is still committed to working with the government on existing programmes, such as the procurement of AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, Peters said as quoted by Aviationweek.com.
The deal, subject to US government approval, is Indonesia’s attempt to modernise its Air Force’s ageing fleet, which mainly consisted of US’ F-5 Tiger, British-made Hawk 109/209 and Russian Sukhoi Su-27 and Su-30.
President Prabowo Subianto, who at the time was a defence minister under Jokowi, visited Boeing’s production facility in Missouri, the US, to witness the MoU
At that time, he called the jet a “state-of-the-art fighter” that could help protect Indonesia. In a statement in 2023, Boeing Fighters vice president Mark Sears said the F-15EX would “put Indonesia at the top of air dominance capabilities”.
The deal is considered part of the government’s major defense spending spree under then-minister Prabowo, who took the helm of the defenc minister in 2019.
It followed the country’s agreement with France to buy the first six of 42 Rafale multirole fighter jets in a contract worth US$.1 billion.
DefenceMinister spokesperson Brig. Gen. Rico Ricardo Sirait noted that financial terms between the two countries became the main factor that halted the deal from progressing further.
“The Indonesian government had offered its bids for the jets’ as part of the planning process to procure the F-15EX,” Rico told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
“But the proposed price [from Boeing] was still deemed too high and, therefore, could not be followed through,” he continued.
Both the ministry and Boeing have never publicly disclosed the value of the deal. But the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), an agency under the US Department of Defense, valued in 2022 the possible sale of 36 F-15EXs along with their supporting equipment at up to US$13.9 billion.
Defence expert Aditya Batara of Bakrie University believed the deal fell through because of the country’s lack of budget, highlighting costly flagship programmes that have strained the state’s budget under Prabowo’s administration.
“Considering the current state budget is being increasingly siphoned off by government programs such as the free nutritious meal programme and the Red and White Rural Cooperatives, it is more realistic for the government to opt for more affordable choices, like French’s Rafale,” he said on Wednesday.
While noting the fighter jet’s significance for the country, Aditya brushed off any political implications that could stem from the deal’s collapse amid Indonesia’s ongoing trade deal with the US.
The US Embassy in Jakarta was not immediately available for comment.
The Defence Ministry’s Rico said the government has not decided about procuring an alternative to the F-15s.
“All defence equipment procurement plans continue to undergo thorough review and strategic government decisions,” he added.
Rizal Darma Putra, executive director of the Indonesia Institute for Defense and Strategic Studies (Lesperssi), suggested the government may look at F-16V fighter jets from another US manufacturer Lockheed Martin as an alternative that match the F-15EX in terms of quality for the Indonesian defence system.
Aditya also noted that France’s Rafale is also similar to Boeing’s F-15 and could be used similarly well by the Air Force.
On Jan 23, the first three Rafale jets ordered by Indonesia arrived at the Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force Base in Pekanbaru, Riau, the home for the Air Force’s 12th and 16th squadron.
Three more Rafale jets are expected to arrive later this year, although the schedule for the next arrivals has not been disclosed. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
