Indonesia cancels deal with Russia to acquire Sukhoi Su-35 fighters

Indonesia dropped the acquisition of Sukhoi Su-35 fighters from Russia due to CAATSA concerns. Photo c/o Defense World.

The Indonesian government has dropped plans to acquire the Sukhoi Su-35 twin engine multirole fighter from Russian state-owned arms export agency Rosoboronexport, according to a report from news media agency Bloomberg.

The decision was made due to American pressure and possible imposition of sanctions under the US government’s Countering American’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

The deal between Indonesia and Russia has been in negotiations since 2017, and a contract was signed in February 2018 for the sale of 11 Sukhoi Su-35 fighters for the Indonesian Air Force, as a replacement for their ageing fleet of US-made Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II lightweight fighters.

Indonesia was not able to move the contract forward due to CAATSA issues, despite the Indonesian government’s negotiations with the US to exempt Indonesia from possible sanctions. So far, American pressure has been undisguised since they approved the CAATSA policy as a way to hit Russia’s most profitable export which is arms and ammunition.

The Indonesian government planned to pay Russia through barter scheme, offering palm oil, rubber,  coffee beans and spices to pay for the fighters which are worth around US$1.1 billion.

While Indonesia was pushing to acquire the Sukhoi Su-35 fighter from Russia, it was also negotiating for the acquisition of fighters from the US, with the Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70/72 Viper being offered. Although reports mentioned that Indonesia was more interested in the latest American fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.


[1] Bloomberg
[2] TASS Russian News Agency