Indonesia Deploys F-16 Fighters to Patrol South China Sea Amid Complaints of Chinese Incursions

The Indonesian Air Force has deployed four F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets to the Natuna islands to support a growing naval presence in the region, ahead of a visit by President Joko Widodo to the territory. The region closely borders territories in the South China Sea claimed by China, and Jakarta has claimed that Chinese fishing boats escorted by Chinese coast guard have made multiple incursions into the fishing rich Indonesian waters. The alleged incursions led Jakarta to summon the Chinese ambassador to lodge a ‘strong protest’ over the incursions in December. Indonesia has also stated its intention to relocate several hundred fishermen to the region to monitor for the presence of foreign vessels. China has pledged to handle the issue diplomatically.

The F-16 is a lightweight single engine multirole fighter, which has been active for 42 years as of 2020 and is increasingly being phased out of frontline service by major operators in favour of more modern platforms such as the F-35A. The fighters’ low endurance and their relatively small radars make them far from ideal for patrolling vast ocean territories, but for the smaller size of the Natuna territories they may well prove sufficient - in the least as a deterrent to the Chinese coast guard should allegations regarding their incursions prove true. Indonesia also deploys more elite and higher endurance heavyweight fighters, the Su-27 and Su-30, which may be deployed should the situation near Natuna escalate.