PM Narendra Modi’s aircraft was escorted by two Indonesian Air Force fighter jets as it entered Indonesian airspace ahead of his arrival in Jakarta on Monday. An F-16 and a Sukhoi-30 flew alongside the Prime Minister’s aircraft against a clear blue sky, marking a ceremonial aerial welcome during his visit to the Southeast Asian nation.

Visuals of the escort showed the two fighter aircraft maintaining formation with PM Modi’s plane before it landed in Jakarta. The F-16 is an American-origin single-engine multirole fighter aircraft operated by several countries, while the Russian-built Sukhoi-30 is a twin-engine, two-seat fighter jet. India also operates several squadrons of the specially adapted Sukhoi-30MKI version.

After landing in Jakarta, PM Modi said he was touched by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s gesture of welcoming him at the airport. The Prime Minister highlighted the close relationship between India and Indonesia and said the two countries had strengthened their ties after elevating the relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2018.

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PM Modi said he and President Prabowo would hold discussions aimed at adding further momentum to the partnership across a range of sectors. The visit is expected to focus on strengthening cooperation between the two countries while building on their longstanding strategic, economic and cultural links. India and Indonesia have continued to expand bilateral engagement in recent years.

The Prime Minister also said he and President Prabowo would visit the Prambanan Temple complex in Yogyakarta, a visit aimed at strengthening the cultural connections between the two nations. PM Modi added that he was looking forward to interacting with members of the Indian community during his stay in Indonesia, underlining the role of people-to-people ties in bilateral relations.

Defence cooperation has also emerged as an important part of India-Indonesia relations. Indonesia said in March that it had entered into an agreement with India to purchase the BrahMos cruise missile system. The Philippines had earlier become the first foreign buyer of the India-Russia jointly developed missile system after signing a deal valued at nearly $375 million in 2022.

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