JAKARTA: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said on Monday (May 18) that the Southeast Asian country will continue to build up its defence capabilities as the government handed over equipment, including six French-made Rafale jets, to the military.

Prabowo presided over a handover ceremony at a military airbase in Jakarta, where he inspected recently-acquired defence equipment, including four Dassault Falcon 8x and an Airbus A400M Atlas aircraft, according to a presidential palace statement.

Jakarta signed a US$8.1 billion deal in 2022 under then-defence minister Prabowo to purchase 42 French-made Rafale fighters.

Prabowo said after the ceremony on Monday that Indonesia will keep strengthening its defence capabilities.

“We must continue to improve our defence capabilities to serve as a deterrent. We do not have any interests other than protecting our own territory,” he told reporters.

“We observe that the global geopolitical landscape is fraught with uncertainty, and we recognise that defence is a primary prerequisite for stability.”