Indonesia’s high-stakes bet on French-made 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 deal, which came with a price tag of more than US$8 billion.
The controversy erupted on May 7, when the Pakistan Army announced it had downed five Indian warplanes – including three Rafales – during an aerial clash, using its Chinese-made J-10C fighters equipped with advanced PL-15 air-to-air missiles.
While New Delhi has not verified the claims, Indian Air Force Air Marshal AK Bharti told reporters on Sunday that “losses are a part of combat”, without offering further details.
Hours after the air skirmish, CNN quoted an unnamed senior French intelligence official as confirming that one Indian Rafale had been shot down, which, the broadcaster noted, “would mark the first time that one of the sophisticated French-made warplanes has been lost in combat”.
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After India and Pakistan trade blows over Kashmir, will their ceasefire hold?
After India and Pakistan trade blows over Kashmir, will their ceasefire hold?
The development has triggered alarm in Indonesia, which last year concluded an order for 42 Rafale warplanes from their manufacturer, French aviation giant Dassault. In 2022, when Indonesia first initiated the order, a spokesman with France’s defence ministry told reporters that the deal was worth US$8.1 billion.
