Indonesia signs contract to acquire Qatar Mirage 2000 fleet

Indonesia's planned acquisition of 12 Dassault Mirage 2000-5s from Qatar is intended to prevent the decline of the Indonesian Air Force's combat capabilities. This photo was taken in 2011, when the Qatar Emiri Air Force Mirages were part of the international military operation in Libya. (Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP via Getty Images)

The Indonesian Ministry of Defense (MoD) has signed a contract to acquire the Qatar Emiri Air Force's (QEAF's) total fleet of 12 Dassault Mirage 2000-5 fighter aircraft.

The acquisition was officially announced on state-owned media on 15 June. A ministry official was cited as saying that the acquisition will prevent a decline in the combat effectiveness of the Indonesian Air Force (Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Udara: TNI-AU).

According to state-owned media, the acquisition's sale and purchase contract is dated 31 January. A source told Janes that the budget allocation for the procurement was USD734.5 million. “That is a foreign loan which was approved by the finance minister last year,” the source added.

The MoD announced the purchase price of the aircraft as EUR733 million (USD792.7 million) and Czech Republic-based Excalibur International AS as provider.

The acquisition of the Mirages will be funded through loans.

Janes earlier reported that the Indonesian Ministry of Finance granted the country approval in November 2022 to obtain up to USD3.9 billion in foreign loans. This money is to be used for three separate proposals to sustain the TNI-AU's combat capabilities. It includes the procurement of the Mirages from the QEAF and a second batch of between 12 and 18 Dassault Rafale multirole combat aircraft for the TNI-AU.

Janes understands that the contract includes the QEAF's all nine Mirage 2000-5EDA single-seat fighter aircraft and all three Mirage 2000-5DDA dual-seat trainers.