The modernization of the Indonesian air force looks more and more like a television soap opera, as the twists are numerous. While Jakarta entered into negotiations with Viennes to acquire the 15 Eurofighter combat aircraft Typhoon second hand which the Austrian authorities would be happy to get rid of, Washington has just sent an unfavorable response at the Indonesian request for the acquisition of F35, offering as an alternative the F16 Block 72+ or the F / A 18 E / F Super Hornet. But for the Indonesian authorities, this refusal could serve as an argument to validate the order for 11 Russian Su-35s fighters in negotiations for several years.
Traditionally non-aligned, Indonesia has, since its independence proclaimed by President Sukarno in August 1945, always taken care to balance its acquisitions of defense equipment between the Soviet Union and the West. Its fighter fleet is today a kind of patchwork of Russian planes, with 11 Su-30 and 5 Su-27, American with 33 F-16, and other sources, with the South Korean T-50 and the British Hawks. It front of growing tensions with Beijing, and the aging of the fighter fleet, Jakarta has undertaken extensive consultations to modernize it, once again attempting to balance origins while preserving its public finances.
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