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'Second-Hand' Boost for Indonesia's Air Defence
(Source: The Straits Times; published Oct. 4, 2011)
Indonesian Air Force officers will soon be shopping in the Arizona desert, picking out two squadrons of mothballed F-16C/D fighter jets from America's aircraft "boneyard", to beef up their country's paper-thin air defences.
The 30 aircraft will come free of charge. But six of them will be cannibalised for their parts.
The Indonesians are expected to spend US$400 million to US$600 million equipping the rest with advanced avionics and weaponry and buying 28 Pratt and Whitney engines.
Settling for second-hand fighters, formerly in service with the US Air Force and Air National Guard, is probably Indonesia's best option at this point, given its limited defence budget, which continues to linger at just over 1 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).
Delivery of the newly refurbished F-16s will likely begin in 2014 and take about three years to complete.
By that time, Indonesia is also expected to have acquired the 14 extra radars needed to provide an effective early-warning screen across the country.
In the longer term, Indonesia and South Korea have agreed to jointly develop the KF-X, a new supersonic multi-role fighter with stealth capabilities and a range double that of the F-16, which is scheduled to enter service with the two air forces in 2025.
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