Indonesia expects to purchase 11 Su-35 aircraft under the contract with Russia. The first deliveries are expected in August 2018, revealed Indonesian Ambassador to Russia Wahid Supriyadi.

Supriyadi said that they expect to receive at least one aircraft by August, 2018, as at that time Indonesia celebrates Independence day. He also noted that as per contract, they expect to get 11 fighters.

Su-35 should replace the old Air Force fleet of American F-5 Tiger aircraft, which the Indonesian military has been using since 1980.

Indonesia’s Air Force chief of staff the Air Marshall Yuyu Sutisna, after his recent January inauguration, told Indonesian press that he expects that the Sukhoi contract would be signed as soon as possible.

The Sukhoi Su-35 is a Russian multipurpose highly maneuverable fighter of the "4 ++" generation, single-seat, twin-engine aircraft designed by Sukhoi. Su-35 is heavily upgraded version of Soviet-era built Su-27 aircraft, that was developed in the 1970s.The fighter is armed with a 30 mm cannon and has 12 suspension points for bombs and missiles and is currently operated by Russia and China.