Thousands of Indonesian elite soldiers sent to hunt for Santoso in the forest

Thousands of Indonesian Military (TNI) special forces officers have been deployed to Poso, Central Sulawesi, to join the manhunt for East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) leader Santoso.

The elite troops joined police units, such as the Mobile Brigade and counterterrorism unit Densus 88, that had earlier joined Operation Tinombala.

The soldiers arrived in Palu and Poso from Jakarta on board Indonesian Air Force planes and then continued their journey to Poso by car, while others arrived on naval ships directly from Surabaya to Poso.

Current regulations leave RI airspace unprotected - TNI AU Spokesperson

The Indonesian Air Force has argued that the government should pass new regulations to protect the nation’s skies, claiming that foreign planes often entered Indonesian airspace without permission.

“Their is an idea that Indonesia’s airspace is open and not exclusive at all, as many non-scheduled foreign aircraft enter our airspace freely,” Air Force spokesperson Rear Marshal Dwi Badarmanto said in Jakarta recently.

Russia Plans to Offer Advanced Su-35 Fighters for Indonesia Tender

Russia has announced plans to compete for an Indonesian Air Force contract to purchase fighter planes; it hopes to export Su-35 jets.

Russian-made Su-35 fighters are due to compete for a forthcoming tender; the Indonesian Air Force is considering purchasing these multi-role aircraft to replace its aging fleet of US-made jets, according to Sergey Kornev, a spokesman for Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport.

He made the statement during the 2015 Le Bourget Airshow, which is currently underway near Paris, France.

Indonesia Getting AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder Air to Air Missiles

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2015 - The US State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Indonesia for AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder Missiles and associated equipment, parts and logistical support for an estimated cost of $47 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

Operation Garuda Perkasa held in Jember

The Indonesian Air Force conducted a military exercise dubbed Operation Garuda Perkasa (Mighty Garuda) in Jember, East Java, involving various combat and support units, to increase soldiers’ readiness in recapturing and controlling a seized airport.

The exercise was organized by the Abdurrahman Saleh Air Force Base in Malang, East Java, using a scenario that an armed right-wing group was active in the southern part of East Java and had seized Notohadinegoro Airport in Jember.

TNI AD Training Helicopter Crashes Onto Semarang Runway

Jakarta. A Bell helicopter owned by the Indonesian Military (TNI) crashed onto a runway at Ahmad Yani Army Airbase in Semarang, Central Java, at around 8:25 a.m. on April 21.

The helicopter from the Army Flight Training Center was being used for emergency procedure training. The aircraft suffered some damage but nobody was hurt.