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Indonesia Plans 180 Flankers Plus F-16s
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 countrys air combat force.
If Indonesia is serious about buying 180 Flankers, then Canberra will almost certainly fund the Royal Australian Air Forces 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 governments Antara news agency says in a report carrying Purnomos 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 nations 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 Indonesias 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 countrys policy of creating armed forces that are more technically advanced and professional.
Indonesia Plans 180 Flankers Plus F-16s | AVIATION WEEK
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 countrys air combat force.
If Indonesia is serious about buying 180 Flankers, then Canberra will almost certainly fund the Royal Australian Air Forces 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 governments Antara news agency says in a report carrying Purnomos 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 nations 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 Indonesias 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 countrys policy of creating armed forces that are more technically advanced and professional.
Indonesia Plans 180 Flankers Plus F-16s | AVIATION WEEK