Hawk-100 jet fighter crashes in W. Kalimantan

Hawk-100 jet fighter crashes in W. Kalimantan

JAKARTA (JP): An Indonesian Air Force Hawk-100 jet fighter
crashed in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on Thursday morning, while
minutes later sparks were observed coming from the left engine of
an Airbus A-310 passenger carrier belonging to airline company PT
AIRWAGON International (AWAIR) only seconds after it landed at
the Sepinggan Airport in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan.

The jet fighter crash killed both pilot Lt. Col. Bustari and
co-pilot First Lt. Donny Simanjuntak, while the Airbus incident
only left some passengers shocked and several others suffering
minor injuries, Antara reported.

Air Force spokesman Commodore Bachrum Rasir said the two-seat
trainer/ground attack jet fighter, produced by British Aerospace
Ltd., crashed at 10:18 a.m. (local time) near Gertak Kuning
village, some 500 meters off the Supadio Airbase while it was
conducting a routine flight.

"An investigation team has just flown to Pontianak to look
into the accident," Bachrum told The Jakarta Post.

Bustari, a senior pilot in the Air Force was also chief of the
Hawk-100 squadron at the airbase.

The ill-fated jet fighter was one of 32 Hawk-100s and Hawk-
200s which were purchased from Britain in 1995. The Air Force is
still waiting for the dispatch of another four Hawk-100s and
Hawk-200s scheduled to arrive before December this year.

"We have several Hawk squadrons that, in addition to the one
in Pontianak, are stationed in Pekanbaru, Riau, and Kupang, East
Nusa Tenggara," said Bachrum.

Meanwhile, AWAIR Director for Operation Yasril Ismail
dismissed reports that the engine of the Airbus airplane was
burning when it landed at the Sepinggan Airport.

"There were only flames from the exhaust pipe, like what
happens on cars. The airplane landed safely and no one was
injured," Yasril said in a media conference on Thursday night.

The airplane was one of two Airbus A-310-300 units, currently
operated by AWAIR to provide flights from Jakarta to Surabaya,
Medan and Balikpapan. The two are leased from Singapore-based
Region Air at a cost of around US$225,000 per unit per month.

Detained

Bachrum also confirmed that the dispatch of one F-5 Tiger jet
fighter and five units of spare-parts for bombers have been
detained overseas following the United States' suspended military
aids to Indonesia last November.

He said the order to hold the jet fighter was issued while it
had stopped over in Los Angeles for repairs.

"We also have three units of jet engines detained in South
Korea and another unit in New Zealand," he said, adding that the
dispatch of 23 Hawk spare-part items have also been delayed
because of the military aid suspension.

He said the Indonesian Air Force has let the United States
"keep" the F-5 jet fighter until the suspension is lifted, while
the force was running short of funds to purchase the spare parts
needed for the maintenance of other aircraft.

Bachrum said South Korea and New Zealand had refused to repair
the jet engines because the military aid suspension prevented the
two countries, which gained their license for such repair work
from the United States, from doing so.

The United States government has suspended its military
training assistance, including the provision and maintenance of
military equipment and spare-parts, to Indonesia since last
November following the bloody rioting in East Timor days after
the announcement of the ballot results on Sept. 4, 1999.

The alleged detainment of the Indonesian jet fighters,
however, was refuted by Indonesian Military chief Adm. Widodo AS.

"No, they're not detained. How can you say so?" Widodo told
reporters after chairing the inauguration ceremony of the new
Navy Chief Adm. Indroko Sastrowiryono, who replaced Adm. Achmad
Sutjipto, in Surabaya on Thursday.

Bachrum admitted that the Air Force depended largely on
foreign military assistance in repairing its warplanes because of
their own limited budget.

"The warplanes' maintenance costs are very expensive and they
could not be covered by the limited annual budget," he said.

On Wednesday, Minister of Defense Mahfud M.D. called on the
government and the House of Representatives to increase the
defense budget to around two percent of the gross domestic
product (GDP) to allow the military to be more flexible in
carrying out its defense duties.

Besides the Hawk and F-5 jet fighters, the Air Force also
operates two squadrons of US-made F-16 Falcon jet fighters
stationed in Jakarta and in Madiun, East Java.

In a separate development, Speaker of the Russian parliament,
Duma, Gennady Seleznev said on Thursday that talks between
Indonesian and Russian experts on military technology cooperation
were underway, exploring the type of military equipment needed by
Jakarta.

Seleznev said Russia's latest helicopters, especially designed
for police work, might suit Indonesia's needs now that President
Abdurrahman Wahid's government has given greater responsibility
to the police to maintain security and order.

"Military cooperation that benefits both countries should be
well developed without interference of any third party," said
Seleznev, who led the Russian delegation at the 104th conference
of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Jakarta. (rms/ego/imn)