Indonesia Cancels Controversial Plan to Purchase Mirage Fighter Jets from Qatar

Indonesia Cancels Plan to Acquire Mirage Fighter Jets from Qatar

JAKARTA (AFP) - The Indonesian government has officially called off its plan to acquire 733 million euros ($790 million) worth of Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets from Qatar, the defense ministry spokesperson announced last Saturday.

Spokesperson Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak declared, "There is no purchase of Mirage jets. Even though it was planned, it has been cancelled ... meaning there is no active contract," but refrained from providing further details.

In the previous month, the ministry had cited fiscal constraints as the reason for delaying the deal and stated that the military would opt for a retrofit of its existing Sukhoi and F-16 aircraft instead.

Controversy and Criticism

The proposed procurement had sparked controversy when it was initially revealed last year, with lawmakers expressing concerns about the age of the secondhand jets.

Amid his bid for the upcoming presidential election scheduled for Feb. 14, Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, a leading candidate, faced criticism from his rivals over the deal. However, he defended the purchase during a presidential debate, asserting that the pre-owned jets were still viable for another 15 years and were essential while the country awaited the arrival of new jets.

Military Modernization Plan

Under Prabowo's direction, the military has been focused on modernizing its aging fleet, with plans that include the acquisition of Rafale fighter jets, drones from Turkish Aerospace, and fighter jets and transport helicopters from U.S. companies Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

($1 = 0.9275 euros)

(Reporting by Ananda Teresia; Writing by Gayatri Suroyo)