Indonesia ditches controversial plan to purchase second hand Mirage fighter jets from Qatar

The defense ministry spokesperson announced late on Saturday that Indonesia had abandoned a contentious deal to purchase Mirage 2000-5 fighter fighters from Qatar for 733 million euros ($790 million).“There is no purchase of Mirage jets. Even though it was planned, it has been cancelled … meaning there is no active contract,” spokesperson Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak said in a statement, but did not elaborate.The ministry claimed last month that financial difficulties had caused the agreement to buy the 12 fighter jets to be postponed and that the military will instead acquire a modification for its current F-16 and Sukhoi aircraft.When the intended purchase was revealed last year, MPs expressed disapproval because they believed the used jets were outdated.The front-runner for Indonesia's presidency on February 14, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, has faced criticism on the agreement from opposing contenders during the campaign.Nonetheless, he defended the purchase during a presidential debate, claiming that the nation needed the used aircraft while it waited for its new ones to arrive and that they were still good for another 15 years.Under Prabowo's direction, the armed forces have been updating their aging fleet with Rafale fighter jets, drones from Turkish Aerospace, and fighter jets and transport helicopters from Boeing and Lockheed Martin in the United States.(With agency inputs)