From Russia with love: Indonesian Air Force officers examine one of three new Sukhoi SU-30 jet fighter planes purchased from Russia at a ceremony in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Monday. Indonesia now has a total of seven Sukhoi fighters based in Makassar so they can oversee the vast western section of the country. JP/ANDI HAJRAMURNI

Indonesia received three new Sukhoi jet fighters from Russia on Monday in a bid to strengthen aerial defense following a series  of deadly accidents caused by outdated military aircraft.

With the additional three jets, Indonesia now has 7 Sukhoi model fighters, all of which were purchased from Russia through a credit scheme.

Defense Ministry secretary general Lt. Gen. Sjafrie Syamsuddin represented the Indonesian government at a ceremony welcoming the jet fighters at the Sultan Hasanuddin Air Force base in Makassar, South Sulawesi. The Russian Ambassador to Indonesia, Alexander Ivanov, represented Russia.  

Sjafrie said Indonesia was expecting to receive another three planes by August to completely equip its Makassar squadron with the responsibility of overseeing the vast eastern archipelago of Indonesia.

“Although in the past we have not had an ample number of jet fighters considering the vast size of our aerial and sea territory, we will slowly be increasing jet numbers to build our defense capacities,” he said.

Indonesia purchased the planes from Russia through a seven-year credit scheme at a total price of US$335 million for seven jet fighters, but does not have to start making payments for five years.

Ambassador Ivanov said although the deal partly came about as a result of good relations between Russian and Indonesian, the transaction was purely commercial.  

“This is mutually beneficial for both nations. Indonesia can buy cheap and sophisticated jet fighters with long-term instalment payments, and train its pilots in advanced systems, while Russia can continue developing its military industry,” he said.

Indonesia has faced difficulty purchasing defense equipment after the United States, its main military supplier for decades, imposed restrictions on the sale of military items over concerns about human rights abuses.

The US Congress had imposed various restrictions on Indonesia since 1992, a decision largely believed to have stemmed from the Indonesian Military’s (TNI) actions in East Timor in 1991.

The ban forced Indonesia to look for alternative arms suppliers, including Russia and China, Australia and some European countries. Alleged purchases from “”grey markets”” also became an option as the 14-year arms embargo by the US left the TNI in desperate need of equipment upgrades.  

When Indonesia joined the US as a strategic partner in the war on terror, all the remaining congressional restrictions were overturned in 2007. In February 2008, the Bush administration proposed a six and a half fold increase in foreign military financing for Indonesia.

But some Indonesian military analysts have suggested the funding did not come fast enough, with a series of fatal accidents involving outdated helicopters and jet fighters in 2008 exposing the country’s defense weaknesses.

Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono said recently Indonesia would diversify where it purchased military equipment from to avoid dependency on any one country.

Indonesia received six Mi-17 helicopters from Russia following a 2007 agreement between the countries that saw then Russian president Vladimir Putin provide a $1 billion loan for Indonesia to purchase 22 helicopters, 20 tanks and two submarines.

However, the national defense sector took a blow when Yudhoyono proposed a reduction in the defense budget to Rp 35 trillion (US$3.3 billion) in 2009, down from Rp 36 trillion in 2008. Many had expected the President to increase funding.

Juwono previously said if the nation wanted to develop its military satisfactorily, the budget would have to be at least US$10 billion.

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