TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Defense denies having signed a contract to procure 12 Pilatus PC-24 jets as stated on the manufacturer's official website. Head of Defense Information Bureau of the Defense Ministry, Rico Ricardo Sirait, stated that the plan is still in the exploratory stage and has not yet reached a final decision. "There is no budget allocation yet," Rico said in a text message on Monday, April 6, 2026.
He mentioned that the discussion on the procurement of the aircraft is still limited to operational needs analysis. "It is still under operational needs analysis and has not yet reached a final decision," he said.
Previously, the official Pilatus Aircraft website mentioned that a contract had been signed between the Ministry of Defense and PT E-System Solutions Indonesia for the procurement of 12 PC-24 units on March 31, 2026.
In the statement, the aircraft is said to be used to support pilot transportation training, air transportation missions, and liaison tasks within the Indonesian Air Force environment.
Based on Tempo's investigation, the price of one PC-24 unit is estimated to range from US$11.2 million to US$13 million, or around Rp178 billion to Rp200 billion, depending on the specifications.
This aircraft is known as a versatile jet that can operate on short and unpaved runways, with a range of up to 3,704 kilometers.
However, the procurement plan has raised questions. Defense analyst Alman Helvas regards the use of the PC-24 as a training aircraft as unusual. "Using it as a pilot training aircraft is unusual," said Alman.
He suspects that the aircraft is more likely to be used for VIP flight needs, although the Indonesian Air Force is deemed to already have a sufficient fleet of VIP aircraft.
Read: Indonesia Denies Aircraft Carrier Grant Linked to Arms Buy
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