Sukhoi jet fighters touch ground

Sukhoi jet fighters touch ground

A'an Suryana and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Braving controversies, two of the four Sukhoi jet fighters
Indonesia bought from Russia arrived on Wednesday -- one day late
-- at Iswahyudi Air Base in Madiun, East Java.

Chief of the Indonesian Military (TNI) Gen. Endriartono
Sutarto and chief of the Indonesian Air Force Marshall Chappy
Hakim were at hand when the jet fighters arrived at 7:35 a.m.
aboard an Antonov cargo plane.

A modest ceremony was held on the ramp of the Antonov, where a
representative of the flight crew handed over a framed picture of
the two jet fighters to Endriartono.

Endriartono, however, said that it would be some time before
the SU-27 SK jet fighters would be combat-ready.

Chappy said the TNI expected to receive two more Sukhoi, the
SU-30 MK, on Sunday, as well as two MI-35 assault helicopters
next month, as part of the US$192.6 million countertrade deal
with Russia. The controversial deal was inked by President
Megawati Soekarnoputri and Russian President Vladimir Putin
during her state visit to Russia in April this year.

Endriartono said the fighters must be equipped with missiles,
canons and other lethal weapons before they can be deemed combat
ready. Ideally, he said, the optimum battle capability of the
aircraft could be met, if only there were another one or two
other squadron of Sukhoi, with each squadron comprising 12 to 16
fighters.

"But, whether this can be accomplished will very much depend
on the financial ability of the government," he said during a
press conference at the air base. The four jet fighters are
scheduled to make a public appearance during TNI's anniversary on
Oct. 5.

Endriartono also said that, buying Russian-made jet fighters
meant that Indonesia was seeking alternative sources for military
arms.

Indonesia traditionally buys its weapons from the United
States and the United Kingdom, but it is often uncomfortable with
the terms and conditions of the two countries. England, for
example, sold weapons to Indonesia on the condition that they
would be used for defensive measures, and threatened to deny
selling weapons to Indonesia after a British-made jet fighter was
used by the TNI against separatist rebels in Nanggroe Aceh
Darussalam recently.

Indonesia's other source of arms, the U.S., imposed a military
embargo following the 1999 East Timor mayhem during the UN-
sponsored referendum, in which blame fell on the TNI.

Currently, Indonesia has 90 combat aircraft, only half of
which are operational.

Endriartono played down the suggestion that the TNI had
bypassed the House of Representatives in clinching the deal.

The TNI has been under fire as it has continued with the deal
even while a House investigation into alleged irregularities in
the countertrade is ongoing.

Separately, House members said they were ready to continue
their probe into the alleged irregularities of the countertrade
deal.

Legislator Yasril Ananta Baharuddin said the House would
summon Minister of Trade and Industry Rini MS Soewandi to explain
role in the countertrade.

The issue became highly controversial after the House
investigation found that the countertrade was not included in the
state budget and the government never consulted the DPR over the
deal.

"The arrival of the Sukhoi, September at the latest, has
already been agreed upon by Indonesia and Russia. We will lose
the Russian authorities' trust if we breach the commitment,"
Endriartono said.