Indonesia confirms plans to buy six more Su fighters from Russia
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Indonesia Plans 180 Flankers Plus F-16s | AVIATION WEEK
BEIJING — Indonesia intends to acquire 180 Sukhoi Flankers and also to buy Lockheed Martin F-16s, Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro says, setting out plans for a massive expansion of the Southeast Asian country's air combat force.
If Indonesia is serious about buying 180 Flankers, then Canberra will almost certainly fund the Royal Australian Air Force's plan for 100 Lockheed Martin F-35s, says Andrew Davies, an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Until now, there was a significant chance that Australia would buy fewer F-35s.
The Sukhoi fleet will be built up by 2024, with 18 aircraft in each of 10 squadrons, Purnomo says. F-16s will replace BAE Systems Hawks, the government's Antara news agency says in a report carrying Purnomo's statement.
If the country does buy 180 Flankers and if it can operate them efficiently — two big ifs — then it will have transformed an air force that now has negligible combat capability.
Indonesia has been operating its current small force of Flankers, a mix of Su-27s and Su-30s, with poor levels of efficiency and availability. Analysts believe that its nine Northrop F-5s are in worse shape. Eight of 12 F-16As and Bs ordered in the 1980s are grounded.
The delivery of three Flankers this week took the force of that type to 10. The government previously said it would buy an additional six.
"To defend our nation's sovereignty, we have set a target to procure 180 Sukhoi jet fighters to form 10 squadrons," Purnomo reportedly says.
Besides Australia, the Indonesian buildup also would cause concerns in Singapore and Malaysia, according to Davies, although Leonard Sebastian, a Singapore-based specialist on Indonesia, thinks that Indonesia's neighbors, including Australia, will not react too strongly.
The Indonesian air force is "pretty weak on human resources — not just the pilots but also the support personnel," Sebastian says, doubting that the country could operate the Flanker force efficiently.
There is less doubt that it can buy them, he adds. Indonesia has been enjoying strong mineral prices stoked by Chinese demand. And building up the air force, rather than the army, would accord with the country's policy of creating armed forces that are more technically advanced and professional.
The minister says the strength of the Indonesian economy is helping the government pay for its arms program.
Davies, who thinks Indonesia eventually will have a large number of Flankers but not as many as 180, points out that countries across Southeast Asia are focusing increasingly on advanced military technology.
Purnomo does not say how many F-16s Indonesia wants, but the country is operating six Hawk 100 trainers and 20 Hawk 200 light attack aircraft. Two years ago the government said it wanted to buy a squadron of F-16s between 2010 and 2014.
Any further F-16s may be secondhand. The defense ministry said in July that the U.S. was offering surplus fighters at low prices.
For imports of new weapons, Indonesia will insist on technology transfer and 40% of production work, Deputy Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin says.
Photo: Sukhoi
BEIJING — Indonesia intends to acquire 180 Sukhoi Flankers and also to buy Lockheed Martin F-16s, Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro says, setting out plans for a massive expansion of the Southeast Asian country's air combat force.
If Indonesia is serious about buying 180 Flankers, then Canberra will almost certainly fund the Royal Australian Air Force's plan for 100 Lockheed Martin F-35s, says Andrew Davies, an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Until now, there was a significant chance that Australia would buy fewer F-35s.
The Sukhoi fleet will be built up by 2024, with 18 aircraft in each of 10 squadrons, Purnomo says. F-16s will replace BAE Systems Hawks, the government's Antara news agency says in a report carrying Purnomo's statement.
If the country does buy 180 Flankers and if it can operate them efficiently — two big ifs — then it will have transformed an air force that now has negligible combat capability.
Indonesia has been operating its current small force of Flankers, a mix of Su-27s and Su-30s, with poor levels of efficiency and availability. Analysts believe that its nine Northrop F-5s are in worse shape. Eight of 12 F-16As and Bs ordered in the 1980s are grounded.
The delivery of three Flankers this week took the force of that type to 10. The government previously said it would buy an additional six.
"To defend our nation's sovereignty, we have set a target to procure 180 Sukhoi jet fighters to form 10 squadrons," Purnomo reportedly says.
Besides Australia, the Indonesian buildup also would cause concerns in Singapore and Malaysia, according to Davies, although Leonard Sebastian, a Singapore-based specialist on Indonesia, thinks that Indonesia's neighbors, including Australia, will not react too strongly.
The Indonesian air force is "pretty weak on human resources — not just the pilots but also the support personnel," Sebastian says, doubting that the country could operate the Flanker force efficiently.
There is less doubt that it can buy them, he adds. Indonesia has been enjoying strong mineral prices stoked by Chinese demand. And building up the air force, rather than the army, would accord with the country's policy of creating armed forces that are more technically advanced and professional.
The minister says the strength of the Indonesian economy is helping the government pay for its arms program.
Davies, who thinks Indonesia eventually will have a large number of Flankers but not as many as 180, points out that countries across Southeast Asia are focusing increasingly on advanced military technology.
Purnomo does not say how many F-16s Indonesia wants, but the country is operating six Hawk 100 trainers and 20 Hawk 200 light attack aircraft. Two years ago the government said it wanted to buy a squadron of F-16s between 2010 and 2014.
Any further F-16s may be secondhand. The defense ministry said in July that the U.S. was offering surplus fighters at low prices.
For imports of new weapons, Indonesia will insist on technology transfer and 40% of production work, Deputy Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin says.
Photo: Sukhoi
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Indonesian Air Force wants to replace F-5 tigers with Sukhoi SU-35S
The Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) wants more sophisticated fighter jets, such as Russias Sukhoi SU-35s, to replace its F-5 Tigers, Chief of the Air Force Vice Marshall Agus Supriatna has said.
He added that the Russian-made Sukhoi SU-35 meets the requirements of TNI-AUs weaponry system, Supriatna said after opening a leadership meeting of the air force here on Wednesday.
He expressed hope that the government will fulfill the desire of the air force and purchase Sukhoi SU-35s to reinforce its weaponry system to ensure security in the Indonesian airspace.
"We hope the government fulfills our wish to purchase Sukhoi SU-35s. All can place orders, but we, as the operators, want jets over generation 4 to be ordered," the air force chief remarked.
One of the reasons the TNIAU wants to purchase these jets is that they will be much easier for the air force to maintain.
"We hope our technicians do not face any problems with the Sukhoi planes. It is important that we purchase jets from the newer generations," Supriatna noted.
Furthermore, the Russian government supports Indonesias wish to buy the multipurpose fighter jet Sukhoi SU-35 to enhance the countrys air force.
"We hope the agreement to buy SU-35s can be realized. Military cooperation between the two countries was established a long time ago. We want to maintain that," Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Mikhail Galuzin said late last month.
The ambassador added that the Russian government was ready for the same if Indonesia decided to buy Su-35s.
In addition, Galuzin pointed out that there was also potential for cooperation to be achieved between the two nations in various fields, including construction, military, and nuclear energy.
"Russia believes that there is potential for cooperation with Indonesia in the construction and military sectors, among others. Also, if Indonesia is willing, we are ready to help in the development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes," Galuzin stated.
The Indonesian government is still deliberating over whether it should buy new fighter jets to replace the old F-5 E Tigers.
Indonesian Military Commander Moeldoko listed several options for new fighter jets, such as Sukhoi SU-35, Eurofighter Typhoon, SAAB JAS-39 Gripen, and F-16 Block 52+.
Currently, the country operates two types of Sukhoi jets, the Su-27 and Su-30 MK2, which stand by at the Sultan Hasanuddin Airbase of Makassar.(*)
Indonesian Air Force wants to replace F-5 tigers with Sukhoi SU-35S - ANTARA News
