Indonesia has decided to acquire Russian-made fighter jet Sukhoi Su-35 to replace its F-5 Tiger II which set to be decommissioned in the near future. The decision was announced by Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu on Wednesday when he inspected the readiness of the armed forces arsenals.
"The Indonesian Military (TNI) commander and the Air Forces commander had agreed to acquire one squadron of Su-35 from Russia to replace the F-5 Tiger," Ryamizard said. Ryamizard added that the purchase on Su-35 would be conducted gradually.
"We want to buy one squadron (16 planes), but it would be adjusted with the state's financial capability," he said.
According to Ryamizard, the option of Su-35 is due to the fact that Indonesian pilots are customized to operate Sukhoi planes. Indonesian Air Forces currently operates five Su-27 and 11 Su-30 planes. They arrived from Russia in several batches of deliveries in the last few years.
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