State Department approves multi-billion dollar fighter jet deal for Indonesia

The State Department signed off on an agreement to sell Indonesia up to 36 F-15ID fighters and related equipment in a deal worth almost $14 billion.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified Congress of the possible sale, Pentagon officials said Thursday.

The package also includes 87 engines, along with radars, computers, navigation systems and security devices for the advanced fighter jets, officials said. Boeing will be the principal contractor for the deal, officials said.

Late last year, Jakarta signaled its intention to focus future jet fighter purchases on the next-generation F-15 or Dassault Aviation’s Rafale fighter, instead of the Russia Sukhoi-35.

Indonesia will play a large role in any scenario involving a rapidly expanding China, which claims large sections of the South China Sea and is considered the U.S.’s most significant “pacing challenge” in the Indo-Pacific theater.

“The proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of an important regional partner that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Asia-Pacific region,” Pentagon officials said in a statement. “It is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Indonesia in developing and maintaining a strong and effective self-defense capability.”