In a decisive move to bolster its air force capabilities, Indonesia has signed a contract with US-based Boeing to sell twenty-four (24) 4.5-generation F-15EX multi-role fighter jets, a purchase that will significantly upgrade the fleet aircraft of the country.

The F-15EX is the most advanced version of the F-15, featuring an electronic flight control system (fly-by-wire), a new electronic warfare (EW) system, a digital cockpit and the latest software and mission systems.

In spite of its years-long air force, the Indonesian Air Force (Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara) does not have relatively large numbers of modern fighter aircraft. It currently has 12 Mirage 2000 5EDA/5DDA, 33 F-16 in A/B/AM/BM/C and D versions, 22 Hawk 209, 5 Sukhoi Su-27 SKM, 11 Sukhoi Su-30 MK2 and 13 T- 50 Golden Eagle T-50i.

It is worth noting that in recent years, the country has sharply increased its defence spending. In addition to the US F-15EX, the TNI-AU will also receive 42 Rafale F4 from the French Dassault at the price of 8.1 billion dollars, thus bringing the “revolution” to the air capabilities of the country.

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Indonesia’s F-15s will be exported as F-15 IDNs and will essentially be the country’s export version of the F-15EX, after being configured for its needs. The purchase of these aircraft, according to international media, will cost Indonesia $9.5 billion, while it will also have to pay another $4.4 billion for related equipment as part of the deal.

Once the transaction is completed, Indonesia will be the first country to receive the F-15EX. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the purchase of F-15EXs from Indonesia was signed on August 22 in St. Louis, Missouri, the site of the F-15 production facility, by Indonesian Air Vice Marshal Yusuf Jauhari and Mark Sears, Vice President and program manager of Boeing Fighters.

Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto inside the cockpit of an F-15EX in St. Louis, Missouri, US, on August 22 ©AFP

“We are pleased to announce our commitment to procure the flagship F-15EX fighter for Indonesia,” said Defence Minister Subianto, adding that “this state-of-the-art fighter will protect and secure our nation with its advanced capabilities.”

Regarding the F-15IND configuration, Boeing and Indonesian officials assured that all the capabilities of the F-15EX will be utilized in the F-15IDN version.

“We have invested years of experience in developing the capabilities of the F-15EX. There is no other fighter like the F-15 in the world and this platform will put Indonesia at the forefront of air dominance capabilities,” said Mark Sears.

“Boeing stands ready to support this effort and remains a committed partner of the US government in advancing international security goals with allies and partners around the world,” he added.

Indonesia was, until early last year, a candidate to join the F-15 user club, which currently numbers just seven countries worldwide. None of these countries have so far purchased the latest F-15EX model, although Qatar’s earlier F-15QA version is what the F-15EX is based on.

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