Prabowo's New TNI Defence Assets: From Fighter Jets to Missiles

President Prabowo Subianto handed over a range of Main Weapon Systems (Alutsista), ranging from fighter jets to missiles, to the TNI at Halim Perdanakusuma Airbase, Jakarta, on Monday (18/5). The delivered assets include six Rafale multirole fighter jets, one Airbus A4/400M MRTT, four Falcon 8X aircraft, HAMMER smart weapons, MBDA Meteor missiles, and one Ground Control Intercept (GCI) radar.

The handover ceremony involved the unveiling of the Air Squadron 12 logo on the Rafale fighter jet’s fuselage, followed by the symbolic handover of aircraft keys to the Commander of the TNI, General Agus Subiyanto, and subsequently to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Marshal M. Tonny Harjono.

Prabowo stated his intention to continuously strengthen Indonesia’s defence capabilities in the face of geopolitical uncertainty. He emphasised that the defence sector is a primary requirement for maintaining national stability.

“We see that the global geopolitical condition is full of uncertainty, and we know that defence is the primary requirement for stability,” said Prabowo. He added that the enhancement of defence strength aims to protect the territorial integrity of the Republic of Indonesia.

“In the future, we will continue to build our strength. We want to secure our airspace, our maritime territory, and certainly our land territory,” he said.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa mentioned that a significant budget has been prepared for the defence sector, particularly amidst current global uncertainties. “Next year, we will also allocate a quite significant amount. However, if you ask for the exact figure, it remains classified,” said Purbaya.