The Republic of Indonesia and Boeing signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the acquisition of 24 F-15EX Eagle II fighters, an updated variant of the aircraft.
The signing ceremony took place at the manufacturer’s facilities in St. Louis, where the F-15 is manufactured, and was attended by Air Vice Marshal Yusuf Jauhari, Head of the Defense Facilities Agency, Ministry of Defense of Indonesia , and Mark Sears, Boeing Fighters vice president and program manager.
“We are pleased to announce our commitment to seek the critical F-15EX fighter capability for Indonesia,” said Minister Subianto who witnessed the MoU signing. “This state-of-the-art fighter will protect and secure our nation with its advanced capabilities.”
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The F-15EX is a modernized version of the fighter originally released in the early 1970s. It features digital fly-by-wire flight controls, a new electronic warfare system, an all-glass digital cockpit, and the latest mission systems and software capabilities.
In addition, the fighter can carry more weapons, including up to 22 air-to-air missiles, among others.
Assorted fighters
The acquisition of the supersonic jet, known as the F-15ID, however, still depends on the approval of the US government, although a first approval was given in February.
Indonesia has increased its military spending in recent times, having ordered 42 Dassault Rafale fighter jets earlier this year.
Currently, the Indonesian Air Force operates a mix of F-16 and Sukhoi Su-27/30 fighters, in addition to using the single-seat version of the BAe Hawk jet and the Super Tucano turboprop in combat missions.
Indonesia is also a partner of KAI (Korean Aerospace Industries) in the development of the KF-21 Boramae fighter, which should receive 50 aircraft.
