Mas Sukhois para Indonesia

Danlanud Iswahjudi Expects The Next Year Sukhoi Comes

The Sukhoi fighter plane took off before flying formation during the air demo drill at Lanud Iswahjudi, Magetan, East Java (photo: Antara)

Magetan (Antaranews Jatim) - The First Air Marshal Iswahjudi Commander of the TNI Samsul Rizal hopes the Sukhoi Su-35 fighter plane ordered by the Indonesian government to Russia will arrive at Lanwas Iswahjudi Magetan, East Java in 2019.

"(The arrival of Sukhoi aircraft) This year is clearly impossible, because it is still in the process and it is expected that next year there will be a Sukhoi plane coming," Samsul Rizal said at Iswahjudi Airport on Tuesday.

The process intended by Samsul Rizal is to wait until the effective contract of procurement of 11 units of Sukhoi Su-35 aircraft from Russia.

"About the procurement contract of 11 Sukhoi aircraft, we are waiting for further developments for effective contracts so that if the effective contract is realized, next year there will be a plane (Sukhoi Su-35) that will be imported," he said.

Lanud Iswahjudi oversees three air squadrons. Each air skadron 3 operates an F-16 aircraft and the air-skadron 15 operates the Golden Eagle T-50i aircraft.

While the air squadron 14 over the last few years does not operate its fighter aircraft. That's because the previously operated F-5 Tiger aircraft has been declared "grounded" (not allowed to fly due to inadequacy).

The government through the Ministry of Defense subsequently entered into a Sukhoi Su-35 plane purchase contract for the replacement of the F-5 Tiger aircraft to fill the air squadron 14.

Antara News