Indonesian Air Force acquires new Falcon 8X

Indonesia said that its acquisition of the Dassault Falcon 8X (serial number A-0801) is connected to its initial contract order for six Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft. (Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Udara)

The Indonesian Air Force (Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Udara: TNI-AU) has acquired a new Dassault Falcon 8X for logistical and command operations.

The aircraft, with registration number A-0801, was handed over to the TNI-AU at Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport on 8 November, according to the Indonesian Ministry of Defense (Kementerian Pertahanan: Kemhan/MoD).

The acquisition of the Falcon 8X is part of Indonesia's contract with Dassault to procure Rafale combat aircraft, the TNI-AU said in a statement on 9 November. “The arrival of the Falcon 8X aircraft in Indonesia is part of the initial contract for the procurement of Interim Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA), which also includes six Rafale fighter aircraft. This is the initial stage of the contract to procure a total of 36 other Rafale aircraft,” the air force added.

According to the MoD, “the Falcon 8X (A-0801) aircraft is an additional force for the Indonesian Air Force's Command and Control (Komando dan Pengendalian: Kodal) fleet”.

The Kodal has the mandate of collecting intelligence data and distributing information in co-operation with the Indonesian Navy. The entity was transferred from Indonesia's National Air Defense Command (Kohanudnas) to the TNI-AU in January 2022, according to local media reports.

The Falcon 8X is “designed to support leadership tasks with the advantage of long range and good landing capabilities on short runways”, the MoD added.

According to Janes All the World's Aircraft , the Falcon 8X requires a runway of 1,829 m (6,000 ft) for take-off but can land in a distance of 683 m (2,240 ft).