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Indonesia: Of the 16 T-50i trainer/light attack suggest that South Korea might
jets Indonesia received between reevaluate Indonesia’s involvement
The largest Southeast Asian 2012 and 2014, three have been in the programme.
country currently operates a lost to accidents. The remaining 13
mix of 32 American-made F-16 will soon be joined by six additional In January this year, Indonesia
Fighting Falcons, 29 UK-made T-50i jets ordered in 2021. concluded a deal to purchase 18
Hawk 109/209s, 16 Russian-made Dassault Rafale F4 fighters from
Su-27/30s (NATO code: Flanker), TNI-AU also received deliveries of France, completing a series of
and 13 South Korean-made T-50i five Su-27 and 11 Su-30 combat contracts that bring the total order
aircraft as its combat jets. jets between 2003 and 2013. All for this multirole jet fighter to 42.
of these Russian-made aircraft This represents Indonesia’s larg-
Of the ten F-16A/B jets still in ser- were upgraded to Su-27MKM and est combat aircraft purchase since
vice with the Indonesian Air Force Su-30MK2 standards in 2017, fea- the early 1960s when the country
(TNI Angkatan Udara/TNI AU) since turing improved avionics and new acquired no less than 140 MiG jets
1990, eight have been upgraded engines to enhance their combat of various types from the Soviet
with the Falcon Star enhanced Mid capabilities. Union. It also marks the first intro-
Life Update (eMLU) programme duction of French-made combat
that has been running since 2018, Beyond these acquisitions, jets into the Indonesian Air Force
with the final two awaiting comple- Indonesia’s involvement in South (TNI-AU), with the initial batch of
tion. In addition to these F-16A/Bs, Korea’s KF-21 Boramae pro- Rafale jets scheduled for delivery to
TNI-AU also operates 23 refur- gramme - which began in 2010 Indonesia in 2026.
bished F-16C/D Block 52 aircraft - has been fraught with controversy.
from the United States. Indonesia has repeatedly delayed Following the United States’ refusal
a portion of its share of payments, to sell its fifth-generation F-35 jets
Between 1997 and 1999, Indonesia largely due to dissatisfaction with to Indonesia, the U.S. offered to
received deliveries of 8 Hawk 109 the restrictions imposed by the sell up to 36 of the latest variant of
two-seater trainer/light attack jets United States and South Korea on the F-15E Strike Eagle to Indonesia
and 24 Hawk 209 single-seater key elements of the programme. in 2022. Formally known as the
light combat jets from the United F-15EX Eagle II, this aircraft fea-
Kingdom. For a time, these Hawk The alleged technology theft by tures numerous improvements
109/209 aircraft operated alongside Indonesian engineers in February and advancements compared to
20 Hawk Mk.53 trainers, which were 2024 further compounded these the venerable Strike Eagle, includ-
delivered to TNI-AU in the early controversies, leading the chief of ing new radar and avionics, new
1980s before being retired and South Korea’s Defense Acquisition engines, increased combat capabil-
replaced by T-50i aircraft in 2015. Program Administration (DAPA) to ity, and enhanced survivability.
While the current outgoing
Indonesian administration has not
signed a contract to acquire the
aircraft, it is expected that the next
Indonesian administration - slated
to take office in November 2024 -
will place a firm order for 24 F-15EX
jets, designated as F-15IDN for
Indonesia.
Laos:
As the only landlocked country in
Southeast Asia, Laos has a modest
air force currently equipped with
four (delivered as of 2024, from 10
ordered in 2017) Russian-made
Yak-130 (NATO code: Mitten), and
at least four Chinese-made K-8
trainer/light combat aircraft.
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