The Indonesian air force Monday officially confirmed its acquisition of three Russian-built Sukhoi Su-30MK2 (NATO designation Flanker) multirole combat fighters, RIA Novosti reported. Russia delivered the three aircraft on Dec. 26 and Jan. 17. Since then, the Sukhoi fighters were put together from their kits and have carried out test flights, RIA Novosti said. The aircraft were built and delivered for the relatively low cost of $300 million under a deal that was concluded in 2007, the report said. The Kremlin also has agreed to deliver a further three Sukhoi Su-27SKM fighters to Indonesia this year and next year, the report said.

Before the current delivery, the Indonesian air force was already operating two Sukhoi Su-27SK and two Sukhoi Su-30MK combat fighters, the news agency said.

"We hope for further contacts in the defense sphere with Russia," RIA Novosti quoted a senior Indonesian Defense Ministry official as saying at the handing-over celebration at the city of Makassar.

The Russian report said the three Sukhoi fighters would be flown by the Indonesian air force's 11th Squadron and that they would be flown out of Sultan Hasanuddin Air Base on Sulawesi Island.

The Sukhoi deal continues the pattern of steadily increasing conventional arms sales by Russia to Indonesia that we have monitored in these columns over the past four years. The Indonesian arms market has been dominated by the United States for most of the past 40 years.

Russian battle cruiser carries out maneuvers with Indian navy
Russia's nuclear-powered guided missile battle cruiser Pyotr Veliky has been reinforcing the traditionally strong military ties between the Kremlin and India.

The Pyotr Veliky ("Peter the Great") sailed to the port of Marmugao in the Indian state of Goa on an unofficial visit Jan. 27, RIA Novosti stated.

The Pyotr Veliky has been showing the Russian flag to Arab and European nations including Libya, Turkey and France on the Mediterranean Sea in the past few months, and in December it paid a visit to Venezuela during which it participated in the VenRus-2008 joint exercises with the Venezuelan navy.

Now the Pyotr Veliky has been carrying out joint naval exercises with the Indian navy. It took part in a passing exercise with the Indian guided-missile destroyer INS Delhi, RIA Novosti said.

The Pyotr Veliky docked in Marmugao because it is the only port on India's western coast that nuclear-powered ships are allowed to enter, the report said.

On Jan. 29, the Pyotr Veliky left Marmugao after replenishing its reserves of food and water and sailed to the Somali coast to take part in the INDRA-2009 joint naval drills with the Indian navy, RIA Novosti said. The exercises this year would focus on joint anti-piracy operations, the report said.

Russia is giving the INDRA-2009 exercise a high priority for its still relatively small surface fleet. It also is detaching a task force from Russia's Pacific Fleet made up of the Admiral Vinogradov, an Udaloy-class destroyer, a tugboat and two fuel tankers, the report said.

The news agency also stated that the Admiral Levchenko destroyer from the Northern Fleet would take part in the INDRA-2009 maneuvers.

The anti-piracy theme of the exercise has a high topicality for India because last year piracy peaked in the waters of the Gulf of Aden off Somalia with more than 110 ships assaulted, of which 42 were hijacked and in all 815 sailors kidnapped, RIA Novosti said.

Currently, as many as 20 warships from 10 nations are operating in anti-piracy maneuvers off the shores of chaotic Somalia, the report said.

India and Russia remain close strategic allies, and the Indian navy continues to buy most of its surface warships and maritime combat aircraft from Russia, although it purchased its Scorpene electric-diesel-powered submarines from France. So far, U.S. defense contractors have not been allowed to make any significant penetration into the Indian naval acquisitions market.