Indonesia Deals a Blow to U.S., Cancels F-15EX Purchase After Receiving Rafale Jets

Jakarta: Indonesia has decided to abandon plans to acquire Boeing’s F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets, giving preference instead to French Rafale aircraft. The Southeast Asian nation was poised to become the first country to import the next-generation F-15EX multirole fighter, but the deal, stalled for the past two years, has now officially fallen through.

The announcement comes shortly after Indonesia received the first three Rafale jets in January under an $8 billion defense agreement signed with France in 2022. The move highlights Jakarta’s strategic shift toward French technology over American aircraft.

At the Singapore Airshow, Bernd Peters, Vice President of Business Development and Strategy at Boeing Defense, Space & Security, confirmed that the company no longer has an active campaign for the F-15EX in Indonesia. However, Boeing provided limited details regarding the reasons behind the cancellation.

Two-Year Negotiations
Negotiations for the F-15EX began in February 2022, when the U.S. State Department approved the foreign military sale of an F-15EX variant, designated F-15ID, to Indonesia. In August 2023, Jakarta formally committed to purchasing 24 aircraft, and Boeing renamed the Indonesian variant F-15IND. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed, signaling that the deal was nearing completion.

Deal Stalls and Canceled
Despite initial optimism, negotiations quickly stalled after August 2023, leaving the deal in limbo for nearly two years. Various terms remained unresolved, leading Indonesia to withdraw from the purchase. It remains unclear whether Jakarta will consider an alternative Boeing fighter or how it intends to settle the previous agreement. The Indonesian government has yet to comment publicly.

France Outpaces the U.S.
The timing of the U.S. approval for the F-15 sale coincided with Indonesia’s Rafale agreement. The first batch of Rafale jets has already been delivered, while terms for the F-15EX deal remain unresolved. By prioritizing the French aircraft, Indonesia has demonstrated that it can modernize its air force without the F-15EX. In addition to Rafale jets, Indonesia’s air force operates American and Russian fighters. For U.S. defense exports, the cancellation of this high-profile deal represents a significant setback.