Air Force to improve weaponry
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Indonesian Air Force is hoping to fortify its minimum weaponry system with plans slated to procure more Sukhoi fighter jets and set up more radar units, particularly in border areas in the country's eastern parts.
Air Force Chief of Staff Marshall Djoko Soeyanto said his department was prioritizing the purchase of 12 more fully armed Sukhoi fighter jets to reinforce the existing four.
"The purchase is going to be made through export credit split between the 2005 and 2006 budgetary years. The first batch of six jets will cost US$310 million, and the second around $356 million," he said on Thursday during a hearing with House of Representatives Commission I for defense.
Djoko said he looked forward to seeing the House support the Air Force by securing a higher budget for the force to establish at least a standard weaponry system, as well as to improve the welfare of its soldiers.
He said the Air Force was also evaluating possible aircraft to be used pending the procurement of the Sukhoi fighter jets, such as the OV-10 Bronco, Hawk MK-53, F-5 Tiger, and F-16 Fighting Falcon.
Furthermore, Djoko said the Air Force was also putting at the top of its list the establishment of radar units on three main borders, in response to criticism that Indonesia has a poor early warning system regarding air monitoring.
"We have prioritized putting radars in Biak and Tanjung Pinang, to be operational in 2006; in Timika, to be operational in 2007; and in Merauke by 2008," he said.
Aside from integrating all operational radar through the Transmission Data Air Situation system, the Air Force also expects to either replace or revamp old radar set up in Congot, Yogyakarta; Ploso, Central Java; Ngliyep, East Java; and Pemalang, Central Java, Djoko said.
The establishment of these new radar units mostly in the eastern parts of the country, he said, was aimed at balancing the weaponry system on both sides of the archipelago.
"We acknowledge the imbalance, but it's mostly because of the very limited budget allocated for us. We hope to deploy more (equipment) to the eastern part," Djoko said.
Djoko said the Air Force would need about Rp 21.9 trillion in its 2006 budget to cover all expenses. The House, however, has set an indicative budget of only Rp 2.5 trillion.
The Air Force's "minimal" weaponry system was also lamented by Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono, while visiting Iswahyudi air base in Madiun, East Java on Thursday.
Juwono, quoted by tempointeraktif.com, said the force's weaponry only met 40 percent of the minimum requirement to create a fully prepared air defense system.
One way to quickly solve the problem, he added, was to overhaul several grounded or damaged aircraft, such as fighter jets, to cover needs within the next six months to one year.
Most of these U.S.-assembled jets were grounded due to damage, with spare parts hard to come since the U.S. slapped an arms embargo on Indonesia in the early 1990s.