Air Chief Marshal M. Tonny Harjono says the Indonesian Air Force will soon add more primary defense equipment and weapon systems (alutsista) to its arsenal, namely drones, radars, air defense missiles, and fighter jets.
“In shaa Allah (God willing), we will get ANKA drones, made in Turkiye. Then Czech-made G-400 radars, a total of 25 radars,” The Indonesian Air Force Chief of Staff said at the Indonesian Air Force Headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, on Monday, December 30, 2024.
He cited that the new radars will be stationed in Makassar, South Sulawesi, and Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan. The construction of the radar locations will be carried out in stages starting next year.
He also cited that the air defense missile system (hanud) that will be stationed in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, and the Nusantara Capital City (IKN), East Kalimantan, will soon be operational with the arrival of four hanud batteries.
“We will also get four batteries for air defense missile system. This system will be activated in the near future, with the batteries arriving in stages until 2027,” he said.
Fighter and transport aircraft
Tonny also revealed that the Indonesian Air Force will get T50i combat aircrafts made by Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) in stages from 2025 until 2026. In addition, the 4.5th generation Rafale fighter aircrafts from France are scheduled to come starting from February 2026. Rafale will be stationed in Pekanbaru, Riau, and Supadio Airbase, West Kalimantan.
The Indonesian Air Force will also have C-130 Hercules and CASA 1 and 2 transport aircrafts. A total of 5 Hercules units have been operational under 31st Air Squadron, Halim Perdanakusuma Airbase. Meanwhile, 9 CASA units will arrive in stages, with 3 additional units coming soon. In the mean time, eight HAL 125 Caracal helicopters have been operational.
President Prabowo’s support
Tonny expressed his gratitude for President Prabowo Subianto’s support on the modernization of the Indonesian Air Force. He emphasized the importance of human and organizational readiness to support the addition of this defense equipment.
“We are grateful that the President understands the dynamics of the strategic environment so much that he pays great attention to the modernization of defense equipment. We are preparing the supporting environment, from human resources to organizational readiness ,” Tonny concluded.
