Asian Countries show more interest to buy European companies’ fighter jets for defense-purpose
_Vinayak Barot
The Asian countries have turned toward the European countries to buy fighter jets and other defense equipment. With the accurate planning of self-defense, the Asian countries have started to take an interest – in buying Typhoons, Rafale, and other fighter planes.
Indonesia Buys Rafale and F-15 Fighter jets
According to media reports, Indonesia has placed an order for 42 Rafale fighter jets for $8.1 billion as part of a series of deals that also include submarine development and ammunition, making Jakarta the region’s largest buyer of French weapons.
When tensions between Indonesia and China peaked last December, some analysts remarked that Jakarta have been relatively muted in its response to Beijing’s aggression. However, Jakarta’s new military procurement seems to suggest otherwise.
Indonesia has signed a deal of 14 Billion with the US also for F-15 Air Superiority Fighters. Shortly after this, the Pentagon said that the US State Department had cleared the potential sale of F-15ID aircraft and related equipment to Indonesia in a deal valued up to $13.9 billion. The aircraft is a variant of the F-15EX fighter jet.
Bangladesh Plans to Buy Typhoons
Bangladesh has a requirement for 16 new multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) to augment and eventually replace its aging Chengdu F-7s and MiG-29s, and the nation wants to turn westward after decades of purchasing its fighter aircraft from Russia and China. The impetus for the shift came in 2015, with the appointment of a new Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Abu Esrar, who wanted to phase out the Bangladesh Air Force fleet of Russian and Chinese fighters and replace them with Western aircraft.
Bangladesh’s Directorate General Defence Purchase (DGDP) launched a tender in 2017 for the purchase of eight fighters, plus options for an additional four, under the Forces Goal 2030 program. Later increased to 16 aircraft, the tender calls for a new-build, twin-engine fighter, with each engine producing at least 12,125 pounds of dry thrust and over 17,635 pounds with afterburner.
India Finalized a deal with France to buy Rafale
India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France in September 2016 to procure 36 Rafale jets at a cost of ₹59,000 crores, and the offset obligations were part of the contract.
As a part of the deal, 50 percent of the total contract value has to be reinvested in India as offsets each year between September 2019 and September 2022.
However, many countries in the Gulf region also now have turned toward Europe for fighter jets, which were a major defense partner of Russia in the past.
