Purnomo said to buy foreign-made aircraft the government must have first to complete the blue book about the need of the aircraft and then determined the policy to purchase it.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said here on Wednesday the government has not yet made any decision regarding its plan to buy South Korean T-50 Golden Eagle trainer jets to replace Hawk MK-53.
"We have not decided it because the blue book has not yet been finished by Bappenas (the national development planning board)," he said when asked for his confirmation about the plan.
Purnomo said to buy foreign-made aircraft the government must have first to complete the blue book about the need of the aircraft and then determined the policy to purchase it.
He said the government through Bappenas and the finance ministry must process it first and only after that would it take a decision on whether or not it would buy it.
"Before that we could not decide. So it is still on a bidding stage and has not yet been decided," he said.
Purnomo said the government is targeting strengthening the country`s air defense for the medium term. He said the government is just calculating the budget for it including for the purchase of fighters.
The T-50 trainer fighter jets are developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in cooperation with Lockheed Martin from the US.
The T-50 Gold Eagle tightly competes with L-159B from the Czech Republic and Yak-130 from Russia.
T-50 has been beaten by M-346 Master made by Alenia Aermachi of Italy in recent contests in Uni Arab Emirates and Singapore.
Last July a delegation from South Korea visited Indonesia to discuss the purchase of T-50. The arrival of South Korean minister of defense to Indonesia on last August 11 was for among others offering the T-50 aircraft.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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