Prabowo Inspects Rafale Cockpit During Inspection of New Military Hardware

President Prabowo Subianto toured the airfield at Halim Perdanakuma Air Base, Jakarta, on Monday (18/5/2026), to inspect the primary weaponry systems (alutsista) being handed over to the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI). During the inspection, the President was accompanied by Minister of Defence Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force (KSAU) Air Marshal Mohamad Tonny Harjono, and several delegations from France.

President Prabowo inspected six Dassault Rafale fighter jets, one Airbus A400M Atlas MRTT, four Dassault Falcon 8X aircraft, the GCI GM403 Radar, the modern Meteor Missile system, and the Hammer Smart Weapon. In one notable moment, the President climbed the aircraft stairs to personally inspect the cockpit of a Rafale fighter jet before proceeding to check the GCI GM403 radar.

In addition to the inspection, the President engaged in discussions with members of the TNI and representatives from the defence manufacturing companies. The event also featured a formal handover ceremony, where the President unveiled the Air Squadron 12 logo on the fuselage of the Rafale MRCA aircraft and performed a traditional water-sprinkling ceremony on the front of one of the jets. Following the ceremony, the Commander of the TNI handed over the keys to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

In his press statement, President Prabowo emphasised that the addition of these weaponry systems serves as a milestone in strengthening national defence. “We must continuously increase our defence strength to serve as a deterrent. We have no interests other than protecting our own territory,” stated Prabowo.