Will Indonesia Acquire Mirage 2000-5 Jets From Qatar

Nov 21, 2022

By: Yulian Ardiansyah

The Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) is likely to acquire 12 ex-Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF) Mirage 2000-5 jet fighters. According to official sources, this is being taken as a stopgap measure to fill the country’s security needs and to better prepare the service for its Rafale jet fighters which will be delivered starting in 2026.

The plan has also received support from the Indonesian Ministry of Finance (Kementerian Keuangan / Kemenkeu). Kemenkeu recently approved a USD3.9 billion foreign loan grant for three different defense projects – one of which is for the acquisition of these ex-QEAF Mirage 2000-5 aircraft.

However, the move has met with disapproval from the Indonesian House of Commons (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat / DPR) which asked the government to reevaluate the plan on Friday (Nov. 18). DPR argued that the acquisition of second-hand defense equipment carries a risk of violating the Indonesian law of the Defense Industry, and therefore advised the Indonesian government to buy new defense equipment instead.

The Indonesian law of the Defense Industry mandated offset, transfer of technology, and some other requirements for any defense acquisition from abroad. Thus DPR considers that the acquisition of ex-QEAF French-made fighter jets will not be able to fulfill most of these requirements.

For its part, the Indonesian Ministry of Defense (Kementerian Pertahanan / Kemhan) is still negotiating the plan with related parties, including the Qatari government, TNI-AU, and DPR. The decision regarding these used Mirage 2000-5 is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

The Qatar Emiri Air Force ordered twelve French Dassault’s Mirage 2000-5 fighters in 1994 with the first aircraft arriving three years later. These aircraft have not been used often and, by the mid-2000s, they have been put in storage with most of their operational life intact and offered for sale. They have been offered to Pakistan, and then to India without success. In 2022, aside from Indonesia, Bulgaria has also expressed interest to acquire these aircraft.

Source:

https://gbp.com.sg/stories/will-indonesia-acquire-mirage-2000-5-jets-from-qatar/