Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2030, with PT ESysytem Solutions Indonesia working as Leonardo’s local partner. The aircraft will add another platform to Indonesia’s expanding mix of European and Asian combat aircraft.
The M-346F Block 20 combines light combat capability with an advanced training role. Leonardo’s planned configuration includes an active electronically scanned array radar, an electronic warfare system and Link 16 connectivity.
The aircraft will also feature a cockpit equipped with a wide-angle display. Those systems are intended to expand the M-346 family beyond advanced training into a broader range of operational missions.
Leonardo said aircraft from the M-346 Master family have been selected and purchased by 22 users. The company has also secured recent contracts for Block 20 aircraft from Austria and Canada.
Indonesia’s order comes as the country carries out a broad renewal of its combat aviation fleet. The programme includes acquisitions from several international suppliers rather than reliance on a single aircraft type.
European platforms in the modernisation programme include Dassault Rafale fighters and the newly ordered Leonardo M-346F Master Block 20. Indonesia is also acquiring Asian aircraft including the TAI Kaan and KAI T-50i Fighting Eagle.
The air force’s combat inventory also includes Brazilian Embraer A-29 Super Tucano turboprop aircraft. Existing jet fleets include Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons, Sukhoi Su-27 and Su-30 aircraft and BAE Hawk Mk 209s.
The M-346F could potentially replace the Hawk Mk 209 fleet, although no decision to do so was stated in the supplied information. Its planned introduction from 2030 will nevertheless add a new light combat and advanced training platform to Indonesia’s increasingly diverse air force.
The 12-aircraft agreement gives Leonardo a role in Indonesia’s long-term combat aviation modernisation alongside other European and Asian suppliers. It also extends the M-346 Block 20 order book as Leonardo develops the aircraft for customers seeking both training and light combat capabilities.
