Indonesia’s Contract to Buy Su-35 Fighters Likely to come into Effect this Month

Indonesia’s contract to buy 11 Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets for $1.14 billion from Russia signed in February this year to replace its old F-5 Tigers is likely to come into effect this month, the Ministry of defense stated.

"If the contract comes into effect this August, then two units will arrive in 2019," the ministry's public communications head Totok Sugiharto was quoted as saying by Jakarta Globe on Friday.

Last week, however, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto announced that plans to purchase the SU-35s could not be accomplished in the near future, due to the possible United States sanctions, the report stated.

"What are you going to do if we get hit by these sanctions? Try and think about the consequences," he said, adding that the purchase of weapons is not as simple as of ordinary goods. Multiple factors must be taken into account.

"Everything has to be in sync, got it?" Wiranto said.

"We don't have any enemies. We're on good terms with America, as we're also buying their Hercules [planes]. We just happen to be on good terms with Russia and other countries as well. So, we're not making any enemies," Totok said.

Indonesia also plans to purchase five newest Hercules carrier planes to strengthen the military's weapons systems and replace the old models at its disposal.

"If we encounter no obstacles, those planes will likely arrive in two years' time. We have only just ordered them from the US," Totok added.