TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Defense handed over 16 units of T-50i Golden Eagle fighter training aircraft to the Indonesian Air Force at Halim Perdanakusuma Airbase on Thursday, February 13, 2014.
According to Ministry of Defense spokesman Brig. Gen. Sisriadi Iskandar, these aircrafts were bought to replace the worn-out MK-53 aircrafts and will be station at the Air Squadron 15 in Madiun, East Java.
The aircrafts were bought from the South Korean government on May 25, 2011 for US$400 million. "This purchase is included in the Indonesian primary weaponry defense system modernization program," Sisriadi said.
The T-50i Golden Eagle is a supersonic training aircraft produced by joint Lockheed Martin, a United States aircraft manufacturer, and South Korean Aerospace Industry. The aricrafts are equipped with missiles, rockets, bombs, 20-millimeter cannons, and radar.
INDRA WIJAYA