Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has presided over a defense handover ceremony at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in Jakarta on May 18, 2026, formally transferring a multi-platform package of strategic equipment to the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI).
The batch includes six Dassault Rafale multirole fighters, four Falcon 8X business jets, one Airbus A400M MRTT, and one Thales GM403 ground-controlled interception radar, plus initial deliveries of MBDA Meteor air-to-air missiles and Safran AASM Hammer precision-guided munitions.
According to Indonesia’s Ministry of Defense, the six aircraft will form the inventory of Skadron Udara 12 (Air Squadron 12). During the ceremony, Prabowo unveiled the squadron logo on the nose of the lead aircraft and performed a traditional water blessing. Symbolically, he then handed the aircraft keys to TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto, who in turn passed them to Air Force Chief of Staff Air Marshal M. Tonny Harjono.
A long-planned modernization milestone
The Halim event marks the formal induction of the Rafale into Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) service, following the arrival of the first three jets at Roesmin Nurjadin Air Base in Pekanbaru on January 23, 2026.
Indonesia originally ordered 42 Rafales under a contract signed in February 2022, when Prabowo was serving as Indonesia’s Defense Minister. Valued at roughly $8 billion, the contract was structured in three tranches. A letter of intent signed during a French state visit in May 2025 signaled possible follow-on orders.
The four Falcon 8X jets significantly expand the TNI-AU’s VIP and command transport fleet operated by the 17th Air Squadron at Halim, which had already been reinforced in January 2023 with a Falcon 7X (registered A-0707) and a Falcon 8X (A-0808). The additional four aircraft consolidate Dassault Aviation as the principal supplier of Indonesia’s government and command transport fleet, alongside an existing Boeing 737. The State Secretariat indicated that the new Falcon 8X jets will also support command and surveillance missions, in addition to executive transport.
The A400M, received in November 2025, expands Jakarta’s strategic airlift and air-to-air refueling capability, while the GM403 radar is intended to support early warning and fighter control of Indonesian airspace.
Deterrent framing
Speaking after the ceremony, Prabowo described the procurement as part of a long-term deterrence posture.
“We have to keep increasing our defense capability as a deterrent,” the president said. “We have no interest other than to protect our own territory.”
The handover comes as Indonesia continues to expand and diversify its fighter inventory. Jakarta has confirmed plans to acquire Chinese J-10C fighters alongside 48 Turkish KAAN aircraft, while maintaining a reduced industrial role in the South Korean KF-21 Boramae program.
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