New fighter jets to boost Kupang airbase security
Jumat, 7 Oktober 2016 08:40 WIB | 888 Views
Kupang, E Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA News) - Four Sukhoi-type fighter jets will soon be stationed at El Tari airbase in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), to help support security operations in the eastern region.
"Right now, we are still building a new hangar to accommodate the arrival of several Sukhoi planes in NTT," Chief of the El Tari airbase Col. Jorry S. Koloay said here on Thursday.
He explained that the development of the hangar at El Tari is a five-year-long program introduced by the Defense Forces (TNI) headquarters.
In addition to the defense system equipment, a number of personnel will also be added to the airbase to maintain the aircraft, he remarked.
Col. Koloay said the decision to station a number of fighter jets in the capital of NTT was made in view of the position of the province, which borders two foreign countries, Timor Leste and Australia.
"We border Timor Leste and Australia and the province has a lot of small outlying islands, so the presence of these war planes will help secure these areas," he noted.
He said TNI headquarters hoped the El Tari airbase would become the main air base for the countrys southern region.
Apart from stationing the Sukhois and employing more personnel, air defense in NTT will continue to be enhanced, Koloay stated, adding that the TNI plans to build a radar unit in Southwest Sumba to ensure full coverage for air defense in NTT and West Nusa Tenggara.
"To make El Tari an airbase in the southern part of Indonesia, a radar unit must also be built in NTT," the former commander of the Sam Ratulangi airbase in Manado, North Sulawesi, remarked.(*)
http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/107091/new-fighter-jets-to-boost-kupang-airbase-security
just a token force .........
President to visit Natuna to attend TNI anniversary event
Rabu, 5 Oktober 2016 22:42 WIB | 793 Views
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo will visit Natuna in the Riau Islands province on Thursday to attend an event to mark the anniversary of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said here on Wednesday.
The TNI anniversary this year would be marked in a different way than usual, he stated.
"The TNI anniversary events series will be marked differently. There will be a discussion between the TNI commander and the President. Besides, the President will attend several events to be held in various regions," he added.
President Joko Widodo will visit Natuna, an archipelago region in the countrys northern most in the Karimata strait directly bordering Vietnam and Cambodia.
Various activities related to the TNI anniversary will be organized, including an air show in the South China Sea, he observed.
"Tomorrow, in Natuna, an air show will be held to show that Indonesia, as a big, maritime and archipelago country, has a strong air force," he noted.
He underlined that the event would not only be a mere formality. "The President as the supreme commander must personally know the state of development of all branches of the defense forces - the navy, the air force and the army," he concluded.(*)
http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/107072/president-to-visit-natuna-to-attend-tni-anniversary-event
Indonesia air force holds its largest military exercise in South China Sea
Indonesian Air Force Sukhoi fighter jets land after training for an upcoming military exercise at Hang Nadim Airport, Batam, Riau Islands, Indonesia October 3, 2016 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Picture taken October 3, 2016. Antara Foto/M N Kanwa/ viaREUTERS
Indonesian Air Force Sukhoi fighter pilots and crew walk across the tarmac after training for an upcoming military exercise at Hang Nadim Airport, Batam, Riau Islands, Indonesia October 3, 2016 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Picture taken October 3, 2016. Antara Foto/M N Kanwa/ via REUTERS
Indonesia's air force is holding its largest military exercise this week, near some of its islands in the South China Sea, in a show of sovereignty over the gas-rich area on the fringe of territory claimed by China, officials said on Tuesday.
President Joko Widodo in June launched an unprecedented campaign to bolster fishing, oil exploration and defense facilities around the Natuna island chain after a series of face-offs between the Indonesian navy and Chinese fishing boats.
China, while not disputing Indonesia's clams to the Natuna islands, has raised Indonesian anger by saying the two countries had "over-lapping claims" to waters near them, an area Indonesia calls the Natuna Sea.
"We want to show our existence in the area. We have a good enough air force to act as a deterrent," said Jemi Trisonjaya, spokesman for Indonesia's air force.
More than 2,000 air force personnel were taking part in the two-week long exercise, which includes the deployment of Indonesia's fleet of Russian Sukhoi and F-16 fighter jets, he said.
Other branches of the Indonesian armed forces are not taking part in exercise, which ends on Thursday.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, where about $5 trillion worth of trade passes every year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.
While Indonesia is not part of the dispute over claims in the South China Sea, it objects to China's inclusion of waters around the Natuna Islands within its "nine-dash line", a demarcation line used by China to show its claims in the sea.
(Reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa; Writing by Randy Fabi; Editing by Robert Birsel)
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-southchinasea-indonesia-idUSKCN1240O9
