Eurofighter joins Sukhoi 30, Saab Gripen and F-16 for a bid to replace Indonesia’s F-5 fighters

What was earlier believed to be a sure win for the Sukhoi will now be an international competition which could take years to complete.

The Eurofighter consortium will showcase the Typhoon at the 2014 Indo Defense exhibition in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, from November 5 to 8, the company said in a statement Monday.

The Indonesian Defense Ministry had announced plans to replace the F-5 Tiger fighter aircraft with the latest generation of jet fighters early this year.

"We have received proposals from several jet fighter manufacturers for replacing the F-5 Tiger fighter aircraft. We are in the process of evaluating which jet fighter will best suit our requirements, whether the aircraft is from Russia, USA, or other countries," Former Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro was quoted as saying by Antara News in January.

The outgoing minister had pointed out that they have at least 5 to 6 options of jet fighters for the requisition plan.

Indonesia is leaning towards the Su-35 as their F-5 replacement, with the JAS-39 in second place and the F-16 a distant third Indonesian Military Commander General Moeldoko told Republika Online reported last month.

Negotiations, budgets and other considerations will still come into play and this is not the end, he had said.