Prabowo Showcases Indonesia's New Fighter Jets with Traditional Flower Water Ceremony

President Prabowo Subianto attended the handover ceremony for Indonesia’s new Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) Rafale, A400M MRTT, Falcon 8X, as well as GCI Radar, Hammer smart weapons, and Meteor missiles at Halim Perdana Kusuma Air Force Base, Jakarta, on Monday (18/5/2026). The delivery included six units of Rafale multirole combat aircraft, six Falcon 8X aircraft, two Airbus A400M MRTT aircraft, ground control intercept (GCI) radar, and modern weaponry such as Hammer smart weapons and Meteor missiles, which were handed over by Prabowo to the Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, General Agus Subiyanto, and subsequently to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Marshal Mohamad Tonny Harjono.

During the handover process of these latest defence assets, Prabowo performed the traditional flower water sprinkling ceremony to symbolise the official strengthening of the Indonesian Air Force fleet. “I consider this one of the milestones in increasing our strength,” Prabowo stated during a press conference. According to Prabowo, Indonesia’s defence capabilities must continue to be enhanced. “As a deterrent, we have no interests other than protecting our own territory,” he said.

Furthermore, President Prabowo noted that amidst a world of geopolitical uncertainty, defence is a primary requirement for stability and a guarantee of sovereignty. “I believe that is the essence. In the future, we will continue to build our strength. We want to secure our airspace, sea, and land. That is all from me. Thank you,” Prabowo added. The majority of the defence equipment received by Indonesia this time originates from France and forms part of a large-scale national air defence modernisation project that has been underway for several years.