TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Air Force claimed Friday it has formed military subunits that will utilize combat unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones in its air defense military strategy. Air Force Chief of Staff Air Chief Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo said this comes as an answer to other countries' rapid technological development in air defense technology and general defenses.

“The Indonesian Air Force is responding to [the trend] and has formed military units that use unmanned aerial vehicles or drones, which will depend on global dynamics,” said the chief of staff on March 4.

He mentioned other countries that have utilized drones in their defense fleet such as Azerbaijan and Ukraine, where the former utilized the fleet during the Armenian war while the latter is reportedly using it in its present fight against the Russian invasion.

"The [development] of modern warfare is captivating, as what happened in Ukraine and before in Azerbaijan, the use of air technology is a game changer," he asserted.

As several reports suggested, Ukraine’s air force also relies on the services of its Bayraktar TB2 combat drone against Russia’s tanks during the early hours of the military aggression. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan mobilizes a number of drones such as the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 and Israel’s IAI HAROP.

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ARRIJAL RACHMAN