Why is Indonesia urgently buying 12 Mirage 2000-5 fighters?

A Qatar Air Force Mirage 2000-5

SCREENSHOT AM OZDOGAN

According to Reuters, the Indonesian Ministry of Defense confirmed on June 14 that it had purchased 12 used Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets in Qatar, saying the nearly $800 million deal was a way to quickly upgrade its air force.

The agency issued a statement saying that Indonesia signed a contract with Excalibur International, a unit of the Czech Republic's Czechoslovak Group (CSG) defense company, in January to purchase the fighters.

Indonesia is expected to receive the aircraft within 24 months of signing the contract. Indonesian media reported on the deal earlier on June 14, including nine single-seat fighters and three two-seaters, along with information about doubts from lawmakers.

"What is the urgency that makes us buy old, used fighters?", Kompas quoted MP Tubagus Hasanuddin as wondering.

According to the website of the manufacturer Dassault Aviation (France), this aircraft model was first introduced in 1967. The Indonesian Ministry of Defense has not mentioned the number of years of use of the fighters, but said the aircraft were purchased with 3 years of service support and pilot training.

"Indonesia needs fighter jets that can be delivered quickly to compensate for the decline in combat readiness of the Indonesian Air Force fleet," said Indonesian Defense Ministry spokesman Edwin Adrian Sumantha.

Indonesia has long sought to replace its aging fleet of F-16, Su-27 and Su-30 fighters. The Indonesian Defense Ministry plans to replace the F-5s with Su-35s, but the plan has been hampered by US sanctions on Russia.

In another development, AFP reported that Israel's defense exports increased to a record $12.5 billion last year, with Arab countries that have recently established relations with Israel accounting for nearly a quarter of the deals.

A quarter of the deals involved unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), while missiles, rockets and air defense systems accounted for 19 percent, the Israeli Defense Ministry said. The figures show total exports have doubled over the past nine years.

The German parliament is expected to approve a $4.3 billion deal to buy Israel's Arrow 3 air defense system.

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