Indonesia 'interest in buying British fighter'

British newspaper The Times reported that Indonesia informally lobbied the UK aboutthe possibility of buying up to 24 units of multi-jet combat aircraft Eurofighter Typhoon.
The sale, if implemented, would be worth around £ 5 billion or almost Rp71 trillion
Separately, the British military equipment firm BAE Systems offers to rejuvenate theHawk jets that have been owned by Indonesia.
Head of Public Relations of the Ministry of Defence Brig I Wayan Midhio, confirmedthat indeed there is talk about the rejuvenation of the Hawk aircraft, but denied anyplans to buy a multi-combat aircraft Eurofighter Typhoon.
"Air Force is discussing about Eurocopter, the helicopter Europe. But still evaluated tobe discussed at the Air Force, has not been discussed in the ministries (defense),"said Wayan Midhio.


Various types
Currently Indonesia has various types of warplanes, including British-made Hawkaircraft, the F-16 American-made and Russian-made Sukhoi planes.
CSIS investigators said Rear Admiral Evan's defense affairs, this diversity is thegovernment's diversification efforts toward defense equipment, due to Indonesiaseveral times embargoed purchase of equipment from Western countries like America and Britain.
The British government under the Labour Party in 1999 banned the sale of defenseequipment on suspicion of planes made ​​by British bombers used to bomb civilians inEast Timor, Papua and Aceh.
In the same year the U.S. Congress to implement the prohibition of arms sales toIndonesia for similar reasons, the newly revoked in 2005.
But Admiral Evan saw, diversification efforts are not accompanied by the purchase ofweapons that the long-term plan will be problems later on.
"In terms of the system, in terms of maintenance, a cost that must be spent to trainpeople the same. In such emergency situations, not necessarily the person who has been trained to fly the Sukhoi to fly the Typhoon. So the cost will be more," said Evan.