"Now is the right time to buy fighter jet aircraft. All fighter aircraft factories on the surface of the earth are in the middle of a warehouse sale, aka selling their products on sale," said Chappy
Chappy said, in the last two decades, the designers or manufacturers of advanced fighter aircraft are currently in two choices, continue to develop fighter aircraft or switch to a new vehicle called drone or unmanned aircraft.
On the other hand, Chappy said, the purchase of 42 Rafale jets was a record for Indonesia in bringing in warplanes from abroad.
"The process of purchasing as well as the number of 42 advanced fighter jets can be said to have broken the record for the number of purchases of combat aircraft in the history of Indonesia after 1965," said Chappy.
In line with the purchase, Chappy underlined that the existence of fighter aircraft is one of the subsystems of the air defense system which is an integral part of the national defense system. Thus, he said, the process of procuring fighter aircraft was essentially an effort to increase the capability of the national air defense system.
"In this case, the fighter aircraft element is once again only one of the other national air defense sub-systems," he stressed.
On the other hand, cooperation in the procurement of the main weapons system (alutsista) for the TNI shows that the Indo-Pacific region has strategic value in future geopolitical dynamics. As a result, the Western bloc countries namely the United States, Britain and France wanted to be involved in the vortex of regional geopolitical dynamics.
Chappy Hakim suspects these 2 things. Moreover, the political temperature in the Indo-Pacific region is indeed heating up, one of which is due to the dispute over the South China Sea area between China and Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Brunei Darussalam.
Indonesia also has an area bordering the South China Sea, namely the North Natuna Sea. Tensions also arose in the area because security forces, such as the Indonesian Navy, frequently caught sight of the activities of Chinese fishing vessels. "Thus, this procurement plan cannot be separated from the dynamic context of the regional strategic environment.
And Indonesia is considered as one of the country's strategic partners to be able to take part in the region," said defense observer Anton Aliabbas, Monday (14/2/2022).
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