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TNI Air Force Wants to Have One Squadron of Sukhoi
Wednesday, 21 December, 2005 | 07:46 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The Indonesian Military (TNI) Air Force said that four Sukhoi planes owned by the Indonesian Military (TNI) Air Force still could fly. “One plane is unable to take to the air due to maintenance reasons,” said TNI Air Force information office head Air Commander Sagom Tamboen.

In the Air Force, not all planes can be flown. According to Tamboen, for 16 planes in a squadron, ideally, four planes should be in operation, four used for reserves, four for aviation training and four for maintenance.

With four aircraft owned by the TNI at the moment, it means there should be one plane in maintenance. With the revoking of the military embargo by the US, Tamboen said, the TNI Air Force’s plan to make the Sukhoi planes a squadron would not be able to be realized based on the schedule.

The budget of the Sukhoi aircraft’s purchase must be divided with the maintenance costs and sustenance going to F-5 and F-16 planes. Tamboen said that if the spare parts checked by the military embargo arrived, the TNI planes would be targeted to increase 10 percent. (Fanny Febiana-Tempo News Room)