Indonesian Ambassador to Russia Jose Tavares has confirmed that the country has maintained its contract to purchase 11 Su-35S ‘4++ generation’ fighters from the country, contradicting several years of speculation from Western sources that the country planned to shift its fleet to fully operating Western combat jets. “Indeed, at some point Russia and Indonesia signed this treaty. Indonesia has never terminated it, but it was put on hold to avoid certain potential inconveniences,” he stated, which was interpreted to be a reference to the threat from Washington to impose economic sanctions on Jakarta under the Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) should it proceed with the acquisition. Jakarta, the ambassador said, was waiting for the situation to become “more accommodating” to return to its implementation of the contract. The $1.1 billion deal was the second signed by a foreign client for the Su-35, and was followed later that year by a contract for over two dozen fighters by the Egyptian Defence Ministry, which later cancelled the acquisition due to Western economic warfare threats.
In August 2018 the Indonesian Trade Ministry International Trade Director General Oke Nurwan confirmed that “the U.S. is trying to intervene” to scupper a deal under which Su-35s would be paid for by barter trade. Two months later Defence Minister Riamizard Riachudu confirmed at a meeting of defence ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that Jakarta had no intention of cancelling the deal, stating: “Never cancel. We are continuing the implementation of the contract.” In June 2019 Minister Ryacud claimed regarding the issue of threats of Western sanctions that “fundamentally the issue has been solved.” He elaborated that in attempting to finalise the acquisition: “certain challenges are due to the fact that three departments of the republic are involved in the process… The Defence Ministry has signed all documents, whereas the Trade Ministry and Finance Ministry are still in the process of approval,” with deliveries expected by the end of that year. This never materialised, however.
In May 2020 Russian state defence conglomerate Rosoboronexport reported regarding an offer to customise the aircraft for Indonesian requirements: “Russia can supply Indonesia with the latest Su-35 multipurpose fighters, adapting them as much as possible to the needs of the customer. We are sure that this is the best choice for increasing the combat effectiveness of the Indonesian Air Force.” Nevertheless, there have been few signs of progress on the deal since then. Primarily as a result of Western threats made against potential clients, China remains the only foreign country to have received the Su-35, as orders were placed before CAATSA had been implemented, although with the country having produced much more sophisticated fighters domestically no followup orders have been placed. Iran was reported in 2022 to have also placed an order for approximately two dozen, with options to increase the purchase to 64. These were reportedly ordered as part of a barter deal in exchange for Iranian military supplies to the Russian Defence Ministry – most notably drones. The first deliveries have yet to be made, although Iranian pilots were reported from mid-2022 to be training in Russia. There has also been not inconsiderable speculation that North Korea is considering a purchase after multiple indications of interest. A Russian fighter less specialised in air to air combat, the Su-30SM, had proven considerably more successful, and as a less costly aircraft has gained less attention from Washington. Recent clients have included Algeria and India, for their own customised variants, as well as Kazakhstan, Ethiopia, Belarus, Myanmar and Armenia.