New Defence Minister Interested in Rafale, Scorpene and Gowind

19 Januari 2020

Rafale fighter (photo : Dassault)

What if Indonesia had Rafale and Scorpene submarines?

The Indonesian Minister of Defense explained to France that his country wanted to arm itself to counter the Chinese threat. Jakarta is interested in 48 Rafale, up to 4 Scorpene and 2 Gowind.

According to concordant sources, Indonesia is interested in purchasing Rafale fighter planes (Dassault Aviation), Scorpene submarines and Gowind corvettes (Naval Group). The visit to Paris on Monday of the  Minister of Defense of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, an ex-general reputed to be Francophile,  was deemed constructive even if we must remain very cautious at this stage. Thus, the Indonesian minister was expected in stride in Hamburg at TKMS. Tensions with China are leading to rearmament of the countries bordering the China Sea. This is the case of Indonesia, which  has deployed combat aircraft and warships around the Natuna Islands near the South China Sea.

According to sources interviewed by La Tribune, Jakarta is interested in 48 Rafale, up to 4 Scorpene submarines armed with Exocet SM39 missile and by two 2,500-ton Gowind corvettes. These purchases could be made through an intergovernmental agreement between France and Indonesia, which wishes to go quickly.

In 10 years, Paris has sold 1.36 billion euros in military equipment to Jakarta, with a peak in 2013 (480 million euros). That year, the missile MBDA had sold for more than 200 million euros a very short range surface-to-air weapon system (Mistral 3) and Nexter had placed 37 Caesar systems (115 million euros). T he three-color groups can rely on the strategic partnership signed in 2011 between France and Indonesia.

Between two and four Scorpene

In 2015, the Indonesian Air Force bought 16 Sukhoi Su-35s to renew a squadron of old F-5E Tiger IIs, at the expense of the Rafale and the Eurofighter. Regarding the Scorpene submarines already sold in India and Malaysia, Indonesia has two French proposals: one relating to the sale of two submarines off the shelf and the other to the acquisition of four copies carried out as part of a technology transfer (ToT) with the Indonesian group PT PAL. A working group has already been set up between Naval Group and the Indonesian Navy.

Why does Indonesia still want to buy new submarines? The Indonesian navy has reportedly encountered serious problems with its Chang Bogo-class  submarines produced by South Korea. It will cancel a contract signed with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) and  estimated at $ 1 billion for the construction of three additional submarines. French submarine technology is appreciated in Asia-Pacific, a region where Naval Group already has three customers in the submarine field (Malaysia, India and Australia).

(La Tribune)