Ohakonyapachininko!

er, I mean…

Yo, buddies. Still alive?

Flanker.

When you hear that word, what crosses into your mind first? Rugby position? A perfume? No. I’m talking about the Russian’s fighter jet Sukhoi Su-27 series, given the NATO reporting code Flanker. There’s a lot of Flankers out there:

  • T10 “Flanker-A” prototype;
  • Su-27 “Flanker-B” single-seat fighter;
  • Su-30 “Flanker-C” twin-seat fighter;
  • Su-33 “Flanker-D” single-seat naval fighter;
  • Su-35 “Flanker-E” modified version of Su-27; and
  • Su-37 “Flanker-F” thrust vectoring nozzle demonstrator, which is later installed on the newer Su-35S.

There are also more models of the Su-27 derivatives:

  • Su-30MKK/MK2 “Flanker-G” variant of Su-30 for China’s Air Force and some other countries;
  • Su-30MKI “Flanker-H” variant of Su-30 built by Indian Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the Indian Air Force; and
  • Su-34 “Fullback” twin-seat long-range ground strike fighter developed from Flanker series.

Oh, I’m going too far. Let’s go to the topic.

Why am I bringing out fighter jets into this topic? Well, I’m rather interested with what aircraft Indonesia will be getting for TNI-AU (Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Udara, basically Indonesian Air Force). You see, Indonesia is looking for a replacement for their aging fleet of F-5E Tiger II that has been operating in Indonesia for 30 years. They have been retired, but they are still in reserve in case they might need additional air support. There are 16 of them, so of course, the Air Force really need to replace it as soon as possible.

Currently, the Air Force’s inventory of active fighters consists of F-16 Fighting Falcon, Su-27SK/SKM Flanker-B, Su-30MKK/MK2 Flanker-G, Hawk 209, and EMB-214 Super Tucano. That excludes all the trainer aircrafts. That’s quite a lot for an Air Force, really. But now, they’re looking to get more fighter jets to reinforce the Air Force. All the candidates were considered. There were European Eurofighter Typhoon, French Dassault Rafale, Swedish SAAB JAS-39 Gripen, and Russian Sukhoi Su-35. They also have an option to buy more of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, particularly the F-16V “Viper.”

In September last year, after all the offers were given, the Defense Ministry chose the Su-35 to replace the Air Force’s Tiger II. Despite that, many alternatives are still offered, like Lockheed Martin’s F-16V “Viper” Fighting Falcon. Last July, SAAB has already submitted a proposal for a joint production and technology sharing for its JAS-39 Gripen fighter jet. Indonesia also committed with South Korea in making their own KFX/IFX stealth jet fighters.

All fighter jets were equally intriguing, aren’t they? The US have the so-called “ultimate fighter” F-22 Raptor; most of Europe have Typhoon at their disposal; Russia has a very large fleet of Su-27 and its derivatives flocking around the country, in addition to MiG-29s and MiG-31 super interceptor. The jets being offered to Indonesia, excluding the F-16, were all impressive air combatant: the Typhoon, Rafale, Gripen, and Flanker.

If I were to choose which fighter would be the best for Indonesia, I can’t choose. Seriously, I do. I singled out F-16 simply because we have too much of them. The Typhoon was designed to be a superior air dogfighter; both Rafale and Gripen are lightweight, and the Flanker is… well, enough said. If I get to choose, though, I’d pick the Typhoon. I mean, I like the Flanker, but Typhoon is just so intriguing. It’s an aircraft that was designed to be aerodynamically unstable to make it extremely agile, making it a great dogfighter. Believe me, I think if Typhoon were to be faced with F-22 Raptor, it can outmaneuver the stealth fighter.

At least, I’m glad Indonesia decided not to buy the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. Part of the reason is because it’s too expensive. Other being that the F-35 is a “defective” fighter. I don’t know about it, but Typhoon will certainly be best in air combat than the F-35. I even heard that the F-35 lost in a simulated dogfight to the F-16, the very jet it was supposed to replace. Oh boy.

So, between Typhoon, Rafale, Gripen, and Flanker, any choice will be a great addition to the Air Force. Typhoon is a supreme dogfighter, Rafale can be added for the Indonesian Navy (if it is possible), Gripen can be acquired as soon as possible, and Flanker can be a good deterrent against the invading threats.

This will be the first post that doesn’t feature any pictures in. Why? Cuz I’ve been busy with college assignment that I literally don’t have time to write things on. Sorry.

So, Period.