Why Indonesia said "no" to Qatar's Mirage fighter jets

There is no purchase of Mirage fighters.

Indonesian Defense Ministry spokesman Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak confirmed that in a statement on February 10.

Máy bay chiến đấu Mirage 2000 bay trong cuộc duyệt binh đánh dấu lễ kỷ niệm của Qatar năm 2018. (Nguồn: AFP)

The Indonesian Defense Ministry said the deal to buy 12 Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets from Qatar was delayed due to financial constraints. (Source: AFP)

Indonesia has abandoned a controversial plan to buy 733 million Euro ($790 million) Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets once used by Qatar, Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak said.

"Although this procurement was planned, it was cancelled... meaning that no contract is in effect," a Defense Ministry spokesman said.

Last month, the ministry said the deal to buy 12 fighter jets had been delayed due to financial constraints and the military would instead place orders for additional equipment for its existing Sukhoi and F-16 aircraft.

At that time, spokesman Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak further explained that Indonesia needed to buy Mirage 2000-5 from Qatar to address what he described as a "capacity gap", while Indonesia waited to receive Rafale fighter jets ordered from France.

Indonesia is expected to receive its first batch of Rafale fighter jets in 2026.

In June last year, the Indonesian Defense Ministry announced the purchase of 12 used Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets from Qatar, stressing that this was a way to quickly upgrade the air force.

The deal has been controversial, with lawmakers arguing that the used planes are old and outdated.

The Qatar Air Force began operating the Mirage 2000-5 about 25 years ago.

Source