JAKARTA, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian Air Force will buy two squadrons of F-16 fighter jets next year in a bid to step up air defense of the vast archipelagic country, Air Force Chief of Staff Yuyu Sutisna said on Tuesday.
That will bring the total number of the country's F-16 jets to 4 squadrons.
The new fighter jets would be procured from Lockheed Martin, a U.S. global aerospace, defense, security and advanced technologies firm, with delivery carried out gradually from 2020 to 2024, the air force chief of staff said.
Sutisna admitted that Indonesia still relied on F-16 jet fighters to safeguard the country's airspace.
"We will purchase 2 squadrons of the newest type of Block 72 Viper," the senior military official said at the Roesmin Nurjadin air force base in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau province.
In addition to the U.S.-made jet fighters, he said the Air Force would also buy Russian-made Su-35 jets, but did not give further details. Enditem
