TSAMTO, August 2. The Indonesian Air Force has decided to purchase Bayraktar TB2 attack UAVs from the Turkish company Baykar Technology.
As reported by Armyrecognition.com, Chief of Staff (Commander) Indonesian Air Force Air Marshal Mohammad Tony Harjono announced a plan to purchase the Bayraktar TB2 UAV on August 1. The number of purchased devices and their delivery date have not been named.
The decision followed M.Harjono's recent visit to the Baykar Technology enterprise in Istanbul, where he assessed the capabilities of Turkish UAVs. During the visit on June 29, the delegation headed by the commander got acquainted with advanced technologies for the production of drones. Baykar Technologies presented in detail the capabilities of its drones, including a demonstration of the flight of the Bayraktar TB2 UAV with various technological simulations. M. Harjono confirmed that the Indonesian Air Force will acquire the Bayraktar TB2 UAV.
In addition to evaluating the capabilities of drones, M. Harjono discussed the expansion of cooperation in the field of air defense with the commander of the Turkish Air Force, General Zia Cemal Kadolu. The discussions were aimed at strengthening bilateral military relations between Indonesia and Turkey through joint exercises, educational exchanges and the exchange of advanced technologies for the production of weapons systems. The fact of the acquisition of Bayraktar TB2, most likely, will be the prologue to the joint production of these UAVs at the enterprise of the state-owned company PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) in Bandung.
Recall that on April 22, 2024, M. Harjono, during the celebration of the 78th anniversary of the Indonesian air fleet at the Bantul air base, announced that Turkish MALE-class UAVs Bayraktar and Anka, as well as Chinese-made CH-4, would soon be put into service. The last two types of vehicles have already been adopted by the Indonesian Air Force.
Regarding the CH-4B of the Chinese CASC Corporation (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation), it is known that the Indonesian Air Force has six UAVs of this type, the contract for the supply of which was signed in 2019. The first two UAVs were demonstrated in October 2019 during a parade dedicated to the 74th anniversary of the Indonesian Armed Forces.
The Indonesian Ministry of Finance approved the request of the country's Armed Forces for the purchase of attack UAVs at the expense of foreign loans in February 2023.
The purchase of UAVs is included in the list of 16 programs for which the Ministry of Finance has granted permission to receive foreign loans, provided that official contracts are signed by the Ministry of Defense before December 31, 2023. Permits for the purchase of UAVs were provided separately to each of the three branches of the armed forces and included an article on ammunition for them.
For the Indonesian Air Force, the Ministry of Finance approved a loan of up to $200 million for the purchase of UAVs and a limit of $38.115 million for the supply of ammunition.
The type of UAVs being purchased was not disclosed, however, as for ammunition, the documents specifically stated that the Air Force should purchase light guided munitions MAM-L. This suggests the acquisition of Turkish-made drones.
A loan of up to $100 million was approved for the Indonesian Navy, and up to $10.89 million was allocated for the purchase of ammunition for UAVs. As in the case of the Air Force, MAM-L ammunition was purchased.
More specific information regarding the purchased MALE-class UAVs for both the Air Force and the Indonesian Navy, issued in the form of contracts, is still not available.
