Indonesia considering buying six F-16s

[BUFF]

26-02-2008

 

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia is considering buying six US-made F-16

Fighting Falcon jet fighters to increase its air force`s combat readiness,

Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono said.

 

"We are considering a US offer to sell six F-16 jet fighters with payments

to be made in four to five years` time," Juwono said after accompanying

visiting US Defense Secretary Robert Gates at a meeting with President

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the State Palace here Monday.

 

Juwono said the country would buy the six F-16 jet fighters under a

multi-years financing scheme agreed upon by the Finance Ministry and the

House of Representatives (DPR)`s Commission I for information, defense and

foreign affairs.

 

"We are also still considering whether the payments will be made through the

FMF and FMS mechanisms. This will all depend on the DPR because this year

the government is focusing the state budget on improving the people`s

welfare," he said.

 

He said the planned purchase of the six F-16 jet fighters would not affect

the government`s commitment to procuring Russian-made military armament

systems.

 

"Each (arm producing) country has its own advantages and disadvantages. Our

difficulty to buy US-made armaments lies with the bureaucracy while our

difficulty to buy Russian-made rests with the payments," he said.

 

Meanwhile, Rear Marshal Soenaryo, commander of the Indonesian Air Force`s

material maintenance division, said the country still has 10 F-16 jet

fighters six of which were still airworthy.

 

"The ten are of A/B types. We will increase their capacity to make them

equal to the latest variants of Block 52 of C/D multi role F-16 Fighting

Falcons, particularly their avionic systems," he said.(*)