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Indonesia - Su-35

The Indonesian military’s weakness was exposed most glaringly during the East Timor crisis. In 1999 it could only watch from the sidelines as a contingent of largely Australian troops prised East Timor from Indonesian control. That it happened under a UN mandate did nothing to lessen Indonesia’s humiliation.

Continuing economic weakness meant Indonesia was only able to drip feed its military. After American sanctions virtually grounded its fleet of anyhow outdated F-16s, Indonesia ordered two Su-27 single-seat and two Su-30 twin-seat fighters from Russia in a 2003 contract worth $192 million. Four years later, it ordered six more Sukhois. Defence analyst Martin Sieff described the deals as “peanuts in the international arms trade”.

The upshot: with its existing fleet the Indonesian Air Force cannot take on regional rivals. For instance, the Royal Australian Air Force has 69 F/A-18 Hornets and 24 advanced Super Hornets. Australia also has the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, which can be a force multiplier in any conflict. Also, the Australian air force, which tends to follow in America’s slipstream, has some combat experience, even if such action involves pretend airstrikes against ISIS.

Indonesia intends to purchase from Russia eight new Su-35 multirole air superiority fighters, later their number could increase to 16, Indonesia's ambassador to Russia Mohamad Wahid Supriyadi told Sputnik in an 04 August 2017 interview. Russia and Indonesia had been negotiating over the past two years the supply of a batch of Su-35 modern fighters. As Rostec State Corporation Director for International Cooperation and Regional Policy Department Viktor Kladov earlier told Sputnik, Moscow and Jakarta had reached principled decisions on the purchase of the aircraft.

Indonesian Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita expressed hope for prompt completion of talks with the Russian side on the purchase of Su-35 fighters. "[The final agreement will be ready] as soon as possible, cross your fingers. There are some documents that have to be finalized for both countries, the seller and the buyer. And also some technical details that both of them have to solve to finalize. It depends on Russia and also the minister of Defense. Only technical details [are left to solve], it's done already actually," Lukita told reporters at a Russian-Indonesian business forum in Moscow.

In June 2018, Indonesian Ambassador Supriyadi said that Indonesia had signed a contract with Russia to purchase 11 new Sukhoi aircraft, calling the deal "very large." According to the Indonesian Trade Ministry, the contract is worth $1,154 billion and stipulates that Russia will purchase Indonesian goods worth $570 billion under it. In August 2018, Ambassador Supriyadi told Sputnik that Jakarta expected to receive the first Russian Su-35 Flanker-E fighter jet under the bilateral contract in October. However, the diplomat noted in a comment to Sputnik in September 2018 that Indonesia expected the first jet to be delivered in October 2019.

In the case of the Indonesian contract, the possibility of applying American sanctions was also discussed for a long time, but in the end, the country's leaders did not cancel the deal: it was expected that Jakarta will receive the first aircraft in late 2019 - early 2020.

The Su-35 is a morale booster for the Indonesians as it will considerably even the odds in the South East Asian theatre. The aircraft has a highly advanced avionics suite that can burn through any electronic jamming and can blind enemy aircraft with its own jamming devices. Most western analysts agree the Su-35 is the most potent non-stealth aircraft in the world today and can defeat any contemporary western fighter, except the F-22 stealth fighter. (But then the F-22 cost an astronomical $350 million per plane compared with the Su-35’s bargain basement price of $65 million.)

China is the other worry. Jakarta has been involved in a regional scrap with Beijing over disputed islands in the South China Sea. The Indonesians may never be able to match China’s firepower, but with the Su-35 the Indonesian Air Force will have the ability and confidence to escort Chinese jets over neutral waters.

Indonesian Air Force planned to buy more sophisticated fighter jets to replace its aging US-made Northrop F-5 Tiger II fleet of a dozen aircraft, and was considering Russian Sukhoi Su-35 (Flanker-E) jets, Indonesian Air Force chief Agus Supriatna said 04 February 2015. "We hope the government fulfills our wish to purchase Sukhoi SU-35s. All can place orders, but we, as the operators, want jets over generation 4 to be ordered," Supriatna said. The Indonesian government is still deliberating over whether it should buy new fighter jets to replace the old F-5E Tigers. Indonesian Military Commander Moeldoko listed several options for new fighter jets such as Sukhoi 35, Eurofighter Typhoon, SAAB JAS-39 Gripen, and F-16 Block 52+.

Russia was eyeing participation of its Sukhoi-35 fighter jet in a bidding contest in Indonesia where multirole fighters will be selected for that country’s Air Force, Sergei Kornev, the chief of the Air Force department at the Russian state weaponry trading corporation Rosoboronexport said on 18 June 2014. "We’re looking forward to a bidding contest and we’ll take part in it," he told reporters on the sidelines of the annual aerospace show at Le Bourget, adding that the Russian manufacturers and exporters should boost the export capabilities of the Sukhoi-35’s. The Indonesian Air Force appeared inclined to procure the Sukhoi Su-35 over European or US designs.

Indonesia would not see delivery of their first Su-35 before 2018. Large scale orders for both domestic and foreign exports has created a production backlog. The Russian military will receive 50 of the multi-purpose fighters, while China has ordered 24. With Jakarta expecting ten of their own, manufacturer Sukhoi said that Indonesia could expect their first two jets in 2018 in a best case scenario.

Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu Ryamizard said 11 May 2016 the government agreed to buy eight Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets this year, but added the price was still being negotiated. Indonesia had initially planned to buy around a dozen of the Russian jets to replace its ageing Northrop F-5 fighters, and supplement a fleet of 16 Sukhoi Su-27 and Su-30 fighters that form the backbone of its air force.

President of Indonesia Joko Widodo visited Russia in the third week of May 2016 to participate in the Russia-ASEAN Summit and to witness the signing of an agreement to purchase eight 4.5-generation Sukhoi Su-35, a minister stated. Speaking to journalists , Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu affirmed that the plan to purchase eight 4.5-generation Sukhoi Su-35 jet fighters was made after Indonesia bought 24 Sukhoi 27/30 aircraft.

The contract with Indonesia on the Su-35 fighter was signed, Vladimir Kozhin, the presidential aide on military-technical cooperation (MTC) said 01 March 2018. "Yes, it is signed," he said. Earlier it was reported that Jakarta wanted to acquire 10 multi-purpose Su-35 fighters. They should replace the obsolete American F-5 Tiger aircraft, which the Indonesian military has been using since 1980. Later, in Rostekh, it was reported that Indonesia had received a commercial offer, which involved 11 aircraft.

The 2018 deal to sell Indonesia 11 Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets is still on track, Russia’s ambassador to Jakarta said 08 July 2020, while insisting that U.S. sanctions were not preventing countries from buying Russian-made military equipment. Indonesian officials had expressed concern that the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, (Public Law 115-44) (CAATSA) an American law signed by President Donald Trump 02 August 2017, could potentially hinder the purchase of the warplanes from Russia – a deal with a price-tag of U.S. $1.14 billion.

Title II of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, as amended (CAATSA), and the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014, as amended (UFSA), provide for the imposition of certain sanctions with respect to the Russian Federation. Furthermore, section 235 of CAATSA provides a menu of 12 sanctions from which the Secretary of the Treasury or the Secretary of State must select when imposing sanctions. Under that law, any country that makes a “significant transaction” with Russia’s defense sector should face US sanctions.

The time frames for the deliveries of Russian Su-35 multi-role fighter jets to Indonesia under a bilateral contract were affected by the restrictions that the United States is ready to introduce as part of its anti-Russia sanctions, as the Kommersant newspaper reported on 05 October 2018. Washington had not given its guarantees to Jakarta that Indonesia would not face sanctions under the US Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which targets, among other things, Russia’s international transactions, the Kommersant newspaper reported, citing two Russian defense industry top managers and a source close to the presidential administration.

Moreover, the parties planned to use a loan from a Russian commercial bank as part of the contract. However, no banks were willing to engage in the deal since they might face US sanctions over cooperation with Russian military exporter Rosoboronexport, the outlet added.

Egypt and Turkey may face U.S. sanctions in the near future for purchasing advanced Russian military hardware. By August 2020 Cairo had reportedly began taking delivery of the first five of at least 20 Su-35SE “Super Flankers” it ordered from Moscow. Turkey’s acquisition of the S-400 advanced Russian air-defense missile system has proven much more controversial. When Turkey began delivery of the system in July 2019, the US promptly suspended Turkey from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.

Indonesia’s Deputy Defense Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono assured that Jakarta had not canceled the purchase of 11 Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets from Russia. He denied rumors that the purchase of Su-35 fighter jets from Russia was cancelled because the pressure from US officials. "We have never canceled it," Trenggono said, as quoted by CNN Indonesia 18 March 2020. Trenggono said that his party was considering other options. He said he was opening up opportunities to replace procurement with F-35 jets from the United States. "We are exploring to replace procurement to the F-35 from the US," he said. Rumors of canceling the purchase of Sukhoi from Russia emerged after an Indonesian official, who did not wish to be named, stated that the US insisted that President Joko Widodo's government could be subject to sanctions if it continued its contract with Russia.

Deliveries of Russian Su-35 fighters to Indonesia may begin in 2019. This was reported on 25 March 2019 by TASS by the Indonesian ambassador to the Russian Federation Mohamad Vahid Supriyadi. “You know, this is a technical question, because the agreement has already been signed. Here we are talking about its technical implementation, because for us the scheme itself is quite new. the near future will be implemented. I hope that this year it will be possible,” he said, answering the question when the delivery of Su-35 fighters to Indonesia would begin.

The Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU)’s equipment purchase plan until 2024 did not include the Russian Su-35 for which a contract had been signed in 2018. Lack of mention of the Su-35 was seen as a sign of Jakarta abandoning the deal with the Russians mostly of fear of attracting American sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. Another reason for maintaining a distance from the Su-35s could be a looming confrontation with China in the South China Sea. Indonesia sees value in having fighters interoperable with the US and western allies such as France and Australia to counter China.

At a press conference, Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo, Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force, said the acquisition of new fighters is reduced to just two planes: the French Dassault Rafale and the U.S. Boeing F-15EX. The Official General lamented that the government was abandoning the project to acquire russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighters "In relation to Sukhoi 35, it is with a heavy heart that we should abandon this plan. The development of our air power depends on the budget, and if the payer does not want the product, we cannot continue on this path. In this way, our course is the Rafale and the F-15EX", said Marshal Fadjar, during an interview on 22 December 2021, provided in Halim Perdanakusuma, Jakarta.

Air Force Chief of Staff ( KSAU ) Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo said on 22 December 2021, although the government has made the choice to buy two types of fighter jets, Dassault Rafale and F-15 EX, until now there has been no decision regarding the plan to purchase advanced fighter jets. that. "This has narrowed but it hasn't been decided yet. But the second option is to narrow it down. The first is that we get the Rafale, the second is the F-15 EX," said Air Force Chief of Staff (KSAU) Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo at Halim Perdanakusuma, Jakarta. Fadjar said that Indonesia wanted a fighter jet that was included in the 4.5 generation category, both heavy and medium class and above. For this reason, the choice to increase the strength of the main weapon system (defense equipment) now leads to the two fighter jets. As for the issue of purchasing the Sukhoi Su-35 , Fadjar said that now Indonesia "with a heavy heart" had to abandon the planned purchase of the Russian fighter jet.

Indonesia will have to wait a few years for the F-15 EX to arrive in the country. "When will we receive the first initial unit, the answer will be around 2027. Now sir, buying a Fortuner is also waiting, sir, buying a Pajero is also waiting for half a year for a car, a jet, it's not surprising," explained Fadjar. Indonesia previously planned to bring 35 Rafale jets and 8 F-15 EX units. The issue of purchasing the two fighter jets has been hot in 2021.

The US offered Indonesia to buy its F-16. However, Indonesian officials said the government was looking for ways to negotiate with the US to buy the F-35.