Despite Chinese propaganda, Indonesia appears to be doubling down on the Rafale fighter jets. Following reports that Jakarta was reconsidering its previously placed order for Rafale jets, the Southeast Asian country signed a letter of intent for 12 Rafale jets in June.
Now, Indonesia is reportedly considering doubling the order of 12 Rafale fighter jets to 24 aircraft, and a formal agreement for this could be signed during Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s upcoming visit to France later this month.
Subianto will be France’s guest of honor during the Bastille Day celebrations on July 14.
“Indonesia is no longer seeking a dozen Rafales, but rather 24 fighter jets manufactured by Dassault Aviation,” the French media La Tribune reported, quoting defense sources.
The contract could be signed during the Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to Paris, it added.
Besides the Rafale fighter jets, other important defense contracts could also be signed during the visit, including a deal for two Scorpène submarines, up to 36 Caesar self-propelled guns, and light frigates. These deals could include technology transfer components, though nothing has been finalized yet.
Indonesia is France’s key defense partner in Southeast Asia. Traditionally dependent on Russian defense platforms, Jakarta has sought to diversify its defense suppliers in recent years, increasingly turning to France.
The Indonesia-France defense relationship kicked off in 2022 when Indonesia signed a contract for 42 Rafale fighter jets valued at US$8.1 billion.
Later, Jakarta announced that it would purchase 13 long-range air surveillance radars from France’s Thales in 2023 and two “Scorpene” submarines from the French state-owned shipyard Naval Group in 2024. Thus, it ushered in a new era of procurement that favored France.
Indonesia is yet to receive its first Rafale combat aircraft. Earlier, Mohamad Tonny Harjono, the head of the Indonesian Air Force, stated in February that six aircraft would land in Indonesia in the first half of 2026. The contract was structured into three acquisition tranches, each comprising 6, 18, and 18 aircraft.
If the deal for 24 additional Rafales is signed, then Indonesia would become the first country to order the French-made fighter jet since the India-Pakistan clash in May, in which Islamabad claimed that it shot down five Indian fighter jets, including three Rafales, using Chinese jets, the J-10CE and JF-17.
It must be noted that while the Indian Air Force has accepted combat losses during the brief four-day war with Pakistan, it has not provided any details on the number and type of aircraft lost.
Notably, French Air Force Chief Gen. Jérôme Bellanger stated that he had seen evidence indicating just three Indian losses — a Rafale, a Russian-made Sukhoi, and a Mirage 2000.
Further, it has not been established that the fighter jet losses were because of Chinese fighter jets and not a result of Pakistani AD systems or even a fratricidal kill by India’s own surface-to-air missiles.
Following the Pakistani claims of downing multiple Indian Rafale fighter jets, Chinese media reported that the Indonesian leadership may have been forced to rethink its Rafale purchase.
The pro-China, Hong Kong-based SCMP said in a report that Indonesia’s bet on Rafale jets is facing scrutiny after Pakistan claimed to have shot down three of the same aircraft used by India, raising questions in Jakarta about the cost, capability, and strategic logic behind the US$8.1 billion deal.
Notably, these claims in the Chinese media were refuted by Indonesia even at that time. Dave Laksono, a member of Commission I at the House of Representatives, which oversees defense, defended the government’s decision to buy Rafales, saying that any “unverified claims in conflict zones cannot be used as the sole basis for assessing the effectiveness or failure of a particular weapons system.”
“In modern military history, even the most advanced jets such as the F-16, F/A-18, and F-22 have experienced incidents of being shot down or crashed due to certain tactical conditions,” Laksono said. Therefore, the performance of the Rafale cannot be measured by just one incident.
However, Chinese propaganda against Rafales was not limited to just a few media reports. According to a recent French intelligence report, Chinese embassies in many countries, but particularly in Indonesia, actively pushed a negative narrative on Rafales following the India-Pakistan clash in May.
Chinese Propaganda In Full Swing
According to an Associated Press report, the French military and intelligence officials have concluded that China deployed its embassies to spread doubts about the performance of Rafale jets after they saw combat in India and Pakistan’s clashes in May.
Findings from a French intelligence service, as seen by the AP, indicate that defense attaches in China’s foreign embassies led a charge to undermine Rafale sales. They sought to persuade countries that have already ordered the French-made fighter — notably Indonesia — not to purchase more and to encourage other potential buyers to opt for Chinese-made planes.
According to French officials, the Chinese campaign included viral social media posts, manipulated imagery showing supposed Rafale debris, AI-generated content, and video-game depictions to simulate supposed combat.
Furthermore, more than 1,000 social media accounts were created to push the narrative of Chinese technological superiority.
The Chinese embassy defense attaches echoed the same narrative in meetings they held with security and defense officials from other countries.
However, it seems that the Chinese efforts were not effective, as despite Beijing’s sustained propaganda, especially targeting Indonesia, Jakarta is not only standing with its earlier order of 42 Rafales but also doubling down on the French fighter jet with a follow-up order for 24 additional Rafale fighters.
With the expected new order for 24 additional Rafales, Indonesia could have a fleet of 66 Rafale fighter jets, making it one of the largest non-European operators of the French fighter and a top client for Dassault in Southeast Asia.
Dassault Aviation has sold 533 Rafales, including 323 for export to Egypt, India, Qatar, Greece, Croatia, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia, and Indonesia.
It remains to be seen whether the India-Pakistan clash will have any impact at all on the booming export orders for the Rafale.
- Sumit Ahlawat has over a decade of experience in news media. He has worked with Press Trust of India, Times Now, Zee News, Economic Times, and Microsoft News. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Media and Modern History from the University of Sheffield, UK.
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