Su 27 SKM TNI AU ( Foto RAAF) |
Indonesia
has ruled out further buys of Sukhoi fighter jets from Russia, instead
bolstering its fleet with upgraded ex-US Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16s
and, in the longer term, aircraft jointly developed with South Korea
through the K-FX programme.
The Indonesian air force has 10 Su-30 and Su-27s, with six additional fighters on the way, enough to form one fighter squadron.
But
budget constraints mean that Jakarta's priority is its cargo and
transport fleets, which have been plagued by fatal accidents in recent
years.
Money
is being made available to accelerate the refurbishment of some of its
existing fleet of 15 Lockheed Martin C-130s, to buy four C-130Hs from
Australia and upgrade them, and purchase more Indonesia Aerospace CN-295
transports, says Air Marshal Eris Herryanto, secretary general of the
Indonesian defence ministry. According to Flightglobal's MiliCAS
database, Indonesia has four active B-model and nine H-model C-130s in
its fleet.
"We
are waiting for 24 F-16s from the USA. With those, we will have enough
aircraft in our fighter inventory for the next 20 years. And that means
we have enough Sukhoi fighters for now," he says.
"Indonesia
has also invested in South Korea's K-FX programme, which will produce
fighters to replace aircraft like the [Northrop] F-5s and F-16s. We aim
to buy enough K-FX fighters for three squadrons of 16-22 aircraft each.
That will cover our long-term requirements."
Indonesia
has also formally received its first four Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano
turboprop aircraft, which it will deploy on counterinsurgency and
surveillance and reconnaissance missions. These are the first of two
batches of aircraft, for a total of 16, that it has ordered from the
Brazilian airframer to replace its North American Rockwell OV-10 Broncos
as part of its fleet modernisation programme.
The
country is also in the market for more helicopters to replace its
Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma fleet, while more manned and unmanned
maritime patrol aircraft could be required to keep an eye on the large
archipelago.
The
armed forces and civil servants are lobbying the government to increase
the budget allocated for the purchase of new aircraft in the next
five-year plan, which will cover 2015-2019. Jakarta, however, is also
planning to introduce a bill that will require around 20% of the value
of the new contracts to be pumped back into the country through offsets.
"The
policy of the defence ministry is that every procurement must have
offsets or joint production. This should also include the support the
aircraft will receive after purchase. So while we might get more money
for the peaceful refurbishment of our armed forces, it is important both
for the military and the country that the new contracts create jobs and
train our people," says Herryanto.
(Flightglobal)
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar
Catatan: Hanya anggota dari blog ini yang dapat mengirim komentar.