The Indonesian Air Force will receive the first four Super Tucano aircraft in March next year, air force spokesman First Marshall Bambang Samoedro has said.
“These four Tucanoes will be placed at the Abdulrahman Saleh Air Force base in Malang, East Java. We could use this aircraft to go to places that are almost unreachable by others,” he added.
The aircraft purchase is part of plans for a squadron of 16 Super Tucano warplanes to replace the OV-10 Bronco aircraft.
The Jakarta Post has also reported Indonesian Air Force Colonel Chandra Siahaan as saying that the turboprop-driven aircraft were crucial to safeguarding the whole region.
Currently, the service is equipped with the Sukhoi squadron, US-built F-16 Falcon fighter jets and F-5 Tiger bombers squadron, two squadrons of UK-made training Sky-Hawks and Hawk bombing jets.