Review of Indonesian government policy in procurement plan of Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft

Abstract

Indonesia's decision to procure 4.5 generation Rafale fighter jets has been approved to replace obsolete aircraft, namely the US-made F-16 and the Russian-made Su-27 and Su-30. The selection of Rafale was based on Indonesia's defense relationship with France which had existed for a very long time, besides that it was also based on the foreign policy adopted by Indonesia, namely the free and active policy shown from several defense equipment owned by Indonesia, not only from a particular country. This study aims to examine government policies in the plan to procure Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft for Indonesia. This study uses a descriptive qualitative approach through literature review from reputable national and international journals, ebooks, and online media by exploring or explaining more broadly the government policy issues in the plan to procure the Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft for Indonesia. The findings of this study indicate that Indonesia is still lagging behind Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore in terms of the number of first-tier modern combat aircraft that are ready for combat. In addition, purchase of the Dassault Rafale aircraft must provide effectiveness to improve national defense and security by using a definitive combination of "high-low" that can be adopted from the USAF (United States Air Force), and also Indonesia must be realistic in responding to the regional balance of power (ASEAN) through the realization of the MEF towards IEF. One important factor that needs to be considered in the procurement agreement is the existence of a strong policy and commitment from the government that emphasizes the transfer of technology (ToT) by sending human resources to study and do internships in the development industry.