In an interview with the Russian defense news website defendingrussia.com, independent military expert Alexander Yermakov said that it is no wonder Indonesia has finally decided to buy a squadron of Su-35 Russian multirole fighter jets.
Indonesia’s defense minister Ryamizard Ryacudu announced the Russian-made Su-35 to replace its F-5s. pic.twitter.com/mlJ74iWhRB
— Vianney Riller Jr (@jrvianney) 4 сентября 2015
The Su-35 is a 4++ generation aircraft which uses fifth generation technology, which makes the plane superior to all other 4th generation fighters now under development worldwide.
#Indonesia MoD picks Su-35 as #fighter replacement for TNI-AU F-5 Tiger fleet http://t.co/V8Msw4ZLhq #aerospace pic.twitter.com/dgm0WsZ61W
— Dan Darling (@DanielRDarling) 3 сентября 2015
The Su-35s are expected to be added to Indonesian Air Forces' existing fleet of five Su-27SK and eleven Su-30MK fighters.
Importantly, a whole array of planes from other countries took part in the competition to supply their aircraft to Indonesia.
These included French Rafale jets, the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company’s Eurofighter Typhoon, the US-made F-16 fighters and the Swedish SAAB Gripen, a lightweight single-engine multirole fighter.
Indonesia to sign Su-35 contract this month http://t.co/5xeCBk0Dkg pic.twitter.com/asEiqLTeSc
— Alert 5 (@alert5) 5 сентября 2015
Commenting on Indonesia's decision to buy the Su-30s, Alexander Yermakov explained that these heavy Russian fighters fully suit Indonesia's geographic characteristics and the country's drive to boost its regional clout.
Indonesia to make a contract with RUS on buying SU-35 in the end of Sep Ind MOD "SU-35 is easier to maintain"-> @RIA pic.twitter.com/zxQUTIiUsM
— KURYER (@KURYERSAT) 3 сентября 2015
According to him, this country of 255 million which is spread 5,000 kilometers across an archipelago of thousands of islands has a poorly developed airfield network.
This problem will certainly be resolved after Indonesia acquires the Su-35s, which has a ferry range of at least 4,500 meters, Yermakov said.
He also pointed to the fact that the Sukhoi fighters have always been the flagship planes of the Indonesia Air Force, which will soon get what Yermakov touted as potentially the best unique and potentially best aircraft in the region.
Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu has, meanwhile, said that the contract between Russia and Indonesia will be signed later in September. According to him, Jakarta will buy the Su-35 jets in several stages, depending on the country's financial capacity.
