Indonesia awaits delivery of six Russian-made helicopters

Jakarta - Indonesia will soon receive six Russian-made Mi-35 fighting helicopters to improve the country's existing armaments, the country's state-run media report said Wednesday.

Army Chief of Staff General Agustadi Sasongko Purnomo said the six combat helicopters would be delivered in stages starting June to October this year.

"Our test team returned from Russia on Monday. They went to Russia to check the helicopters' final preparedness," Agustadi was quoted as saying by the state-run Antara news agency.

In 2003, Indonesia had purchased two similar type of Mi-35 helicopters from Russia.

A senior official at the Indonesian Defence Ministry said recently the country's air force are awaiting the delivery of three Russian-made Sukhoi jet fighters to back up its existing warplanes.

Indonesia shifted its shopping for military equipment outside the United States, to sellers including Russia, after Washington imposed an arms sale embargo to Jakarta in the early 1990s.

The US in 1992 restricted arms sales and most training for Indonesia based on alleged human rights abuses. A few years later Washington formally cut off its military relations with Jakarta, after a rampage by an army-backed militia in what was then East Timor province.

However, some counter-terrorism training was resumed after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and other targets. (dpa)