Procurement: April 23, 2003

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Indonesia's largely American air force is falling apart because of the 1999 US embargo. America insists that Indonesia fully account for army violence in East Timor during the late 1990s, and until that is done to the satisfaction of most American legislators, Indonesia cannot get spare parts for it's U.S. warplanes. As a result, only about a third of the air force's 89 warplanes are operational. So Indonesia is considering gradually replacing it's F-16, F-5s and A-4s with Russian warplanes. The first move in this direction is the planned purchase of four Su-27s, for $30 million each (including spare parts, training and support.)