Monday, September 20, 2010

DTN News: Indonesia to Purchase Six New Sukhoi Fighter Jets

Defense News: DTN News: Indonesia to Purchase Six New Sukhoi Fighter Jets
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including JakartaGlobe / Ria Novosti
(NSI News Source Info) JAKARTA, Indonesia - September 20, 2010: Indonesia has decided to buy six more Russian-built Sukhoi fighters to expand the country’s existing fleet, a senior military official said on Friday.
Air Marshall Imam Sufaat, Air Force chief of staff, said the six extra planes were intended to form a squadron along with the 10 Sukhois the air force already has.
“Ten Sukhoi fighter jets are not adequate to give a deterrent effect given our vast airspace,” Sufaat was quoted as saying by the state-run Antara news agency.
He said Indonesia lagged behind neighboring Malaysia, which has 18 Sukhoi fighter jets, and Singapore with its 28 US-built F-15s.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has approved the plan, Sufaat said but added he was not sure about the timeframe of the purchase.Indonesia has been buying Sukhoi fighter jets since 2003.
It shifted its purchases of military equipment away from the United States after Washington imposed an arms embargo on Jakarta in early 1990s.
The US government has lifted most of the ban in recent years.
During a recent visit to Jakarta, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates announced the resumption of cooperation with Indonesian special forces due to measures to improve the unit’s human rights record.
Russia will make its last delivery to Indonesia as part of a 2007 Su-30MK fighter deal in late September, the Russian ambassador to Indonesia said on Thursday.
"The handing-over ceremony...will take place at the end of September," Alexander Ivanov said.
The $300 million contract signed in August 2007 stipulated the delivery of six Su-30MK fighter planes. Three aircraft were delivered in 2009, while another two were handed over to Indonesia on September 10.
The Indonesian Air Force wants the fighters to take part in a military parade on October 5.
Three Russian specialists who were helping the Indonesian Air Force assemble the recently delivered Su fighters died at a Sukhoi holding in the Indonesian city of Makassar on Monday in "unexplained circumstances", amid allegations of methanol poisoning.
The Russian ambassador said, however, the reports of poisoning are "groundless." He also said the cause of death had yet to be announced.
" Su-30M (MK-export version) is a standard Su-30 with the air-to-ground missiles which can carry twice the armament (8 tons) compared to the baseline Su-27. The Su-30 'export variant' of the formidable Su-27 'Flanker', can carry the latest Russian air-to-air missiles, including the medium-range R-27 family, the short-range R-73 and the new medium-range R-77 'AMRAAM-ski'. The Sukhoi-30K has a range in excess of 3,000km, which means it can easily patrol offshore installations without requiring aerial refuelling.Derived from the famous Sukhoi aircraft family - Su-27UBK, Su-30K, Su-35, Su-37 - the Su-30MK epitomises a "universal air warrior", capable of accomplishing a wide variety of combat missions at significant distances from the home base, in any weather conditions and severe jamming environment, both by day and night.
This multirole aircraft is adequately fitted for the entire spectrum of tactical and operational combat employment scenarios, varying from counterair tasks (i.e. gaining air superiority, air defence, air patrol and escort) to counterland and countersea ones (suppression of hostile air defence, air interdiction and close air support). Additionally, the Su-30MK can perform ECCM and early warning tasks, as well as exercise command-and-control over a group of aerial combat assets performing joint mission. Due to duplicated flight control system, it can be also employed for realistic flight and combat training.
The Su-30MK aerodynamic configuration is an unstable-in-longitude triplane. To increase lifting effectiveness and enhance manoeuvrability of the aircraft, the canards are installed. They are deflected automatically to ensure flight at high angle-of-attack. "
Alexander Ivanov said the deaths did not affect the work of other Russian specialists in Makassar, and that work to assemble the Su fighters was being carried out according to schedule.
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