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yesterday

Macron Deepens France-Indonesia Partnership with Rafale Jet and Submarine Deals

Scheduled 2026 deliveries of Rafale jets under these accords extend Paris’s strategic reach in Southeast Asia.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, center, shakes hands with French first lady Brigitte Macron as French President Emmanuel Macron waves before their meeting at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
French President Emmanuel Macron, center right, and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, center left, inspect honor guards before their meeting at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto attends the 46th ASEAN Summit, at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 26, 2025. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain/File Photo
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, greets with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto before their meeting at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, May 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Overview

  • The leaders inked a letter of intent covering 42 Dassault Rafale fighters, two Scorpene submarines and 13 Thales long-range radar systems.
  • Indonesia’s defence ministry says the first Rafale deliveries will arrive in early 2026 as Jakarta pivots away from Russian military equipment.
  • Executives from Eramet, TotalEnergies and Danone joined Macron’s delegation to secure critical minerals, energy transition technologies and investment projects.
  • Macron positioned France as an independent Indo-Pacific partner seeking contracts in defence, agriculture and disaster management to diversify regional ties.
  • In a joint statement, Prabowo said Indonesia would recognise Israel if it first acknowledges a Palestinian state and both called for mutual recognition at a UN conference next month.