The Indonesian Ministry of Defense indicated today, Tuesday, that "Indonesia has purchased 12 new drones and training and flight simulators from the Turkish Aerospace Industries for a value of $300 million." Indonesia signed the agreement with the Turkish company in February of this year. The drones are expected to be delivered within 32 months from the signing.
This deal comes after Indonesian President Joko Widodo urged the cabinet in July to maintain a "sound" budget, highlighting the massive spending by security agencies in the country, including the Ministry of Defense. According to government data, the Ministry of Defense received the largest allocation from the total national budget this year, which amounted to 134.3 trillion rupiah ($8.89 billion).
In February, Indonesia also purchased 42 Rafale fighter jets for $8.1 billion, which will be delivered in phases over several years. In January, the Defense Minister concluded a deal worth $800 million to purchase 12 Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets, which faced criticism for being very old aircraft.
