MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Indonesian Air Force plans to buy more sophisticated fighter jets to replace its aging US-made Northrop F-5 Tiger II fleet, and is considering Russian Sukhoi Su-35 (Flanker-E) jets, Indonesian Air Force chief Agus Supriatna said.
"We hope the government fulfills our wish to purchase Sukhoi SU-35s. All can place orders, but we, as the operators, want jets over generation 4 to be ordered," Supriatna said, as quoted by the Antara News agency Wednesday.
One of the reasons to buy the Su-35S is that Russian jets are much easier to maintain than US fighter jets, Supriatna stated.
In January, Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Mikhail Galuzin said that Moscow wanted to maintain military cooperation between the two counties and hopes that the agreement to supply Sukhoi jets to Indonesia would be signed.
The Su-35 is a single-seat fighter jet, an upgraded modification of the Su-27. China is currently planning to buy 24 Russian-produced Su-35 jets.
