Analyst says Rafale operations must be supported by domestic defence industry

Jakarta — Defence analyst and observer Hanif Rahadian of the Strategic Defence Studies Institute (Keris) says the presence of fighter aircraft Rafale should be supported by the domestic defence industry. ‘This is so that the government is not too dependent on foreign sources to source spare parts and technologies that augment Rafaleor its operations,’ Hanif told ANTARA in Jakarta on Tuesday. He added that Indonesia must strengthen maintenance, upkeep, and fulfilment of spare parts through the domestic defence industry. According to Hanif, the government has a responsibility to ensure the operation of all defence platforms, including Rafale, can run in the long term. This must be done to face emergency situations and the impact of ongoing global conflicts. Therefore, Hanif hopes Rafale’s arrival can spur the domestic defence industry to improve product innovation. With the advancement of the domestic defence industry, Hanif believes Rafale can operate to its maximum without worrying about the impacts of global conflict. ‘Strengthening the capacity of the national defence industry is important so that maintenance and sustainment of the TNI AU fleet can run consistently, independently, and sustainably,’ he said. Previously, the TNI AU had just received six Rafale units along with their missile systems. The six aircraft were assigned to No. 12 Squadron located at Lanud Roesmin Nurjadin, Pekanbaru, Riau. Now, the TNI is still awaiting 36 more Rafale aircraft which are still in production at the Dassault Aviation company in France.