National

Indonesian Air Force to Continue Previous Purchase Contracts with USA
Thursday, 29 December, 2005 | 10:36 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Following the lifting of the United States weapons embargo, the Indonesian Air Force is to continue its weapons’ purchase contracts with the US that were halted by the embargo.

According to Air Force spokesman Vice Marshall Sagoem Tamboen, the Air Force has already begun the process to re-continue the old contracts, in particular the procurement of spare parts for F-16, F-5 and Sukhoi fighter planes.

“The contracts to purchase spare parts for F-16 and F-5 fighter planes spare parts are still in force but they were halted because of the embargo. However, we have begun to revive the contract,” stated Tamboen.
Up to now, the Air Force has carried out several contracts to purchase Air Force primary defense system equipment.

These include contracts to purchase F-16 planes, which have continued since 1992, F-5 fighter planes since the1980s, Hercules transportation planes since the 1960s and Sukhoi planes from Russia since 2003.
Although the process to procure the spare parts has already begun again, it will take at least one year for the planes’ spare-parts to arrive in Indonesia.

“The fastest that the spare parts for the planes, which were delayed by the embargo, will reach Indonesia is at the end of 2006 and the process is in stages,” stated Tamboen.

The Air Force will directly carry out procurement for the spare parts without going through the Department of Defense.

This will also apply as regards procurement by the Indonesian Military Navy and the Indonesian Army.
Each of the three forces within the Indonesian Military (TNI) will maintain their respective primary defense system equipment, including the procurement of spare parts.

This is because the Department of Defense has already divided the budget to each force to cover the costs of maintenance or procurement of spare parts each year.
(Sunariah-Tempo News Room)