Indonesia Air Show 96 (IAS '96), held at SoekarnoHatta International Airport, Jakarta, Indonesia, 2230 June 1996, marked a new beginning for Indonesia's aviation business and aerospace technology. The ambitious nine-day air show is the second after Indonesia's 1986 air show debut. IAS '96 gave over 280 firms from 23 countries, including Indonesia, opportunities to exhibit their latest military and commercial aviation technology products to Asian-Pacific aerospace market customers.

IAS '96 is third in size only to the Paris and Farnborough air shows. This major international event attracted key decisionmakers from the military, government, and private sectors in the Asia-Pacific region. The newly constructed show site at SoekarnoHatta International Airport occupies 320 acres (128 hectares). Indoor and outdoor exhibition areas take up half of the acreage. Exhibition of Indonesia's aeronautics industry pulled in approximately $4.48 billion (U.S. dollars) worth of deals. Show organizers estimated that over one million people attended the air show over the nine day period.

Opening ceremonies on 22 June began with aerobatics by Indonesian and British squadrons as well as by Indonesian special forces skydivers carrying the flags of the 23 participating countries. Indonesia's "Elang Biru" (Blue Falcons) and Britain's Royal Air Force "Red Arrows" graced the sky for 42 minutes after Indonesia's President Soeharto's opening speech. The demonstration teams fly the F16 and the HAWK 100 aircraft, respectively.

"The Indonesia Air Show 1996 will be an event for us to assess the progress that we have made, and through this international show we will be able to appraise the strengths and weaknesses of our aerospace industry. The strengths will be maintained and further developed, while the weaknesses will be corrected and set right immediately," President Soeharto said.

Indonesians lined the side of the toll road leading from the airport in order to see the wide variety of aircraft and aerobatics demonstrations. For the first four days, the event was limited to business associates. On the fifth day, it was opened to the public for the remainder of the show.

After two decades of development and achievements, Indonesia's aviation industry is developing its own aircraft, technology, and market capabilities. Indonesia used IAS '96 as a venue to show these achievements, capabilities, and contributions to the development of their country.

Economic opportunities in the region, the need to be globally competitive, and the country's territorial range make it necessary for Indonesia to develop its own aviation industry. Indonesia's 27 provinces stretch 5,000 kilometers across the equator on a total of 17,508 islands. Indonesia's population is 190 million people. Scattered across the archipelago are 23 international airports, 159 domestic airports, and 494 airstrips. These numbers will climb rapidly as the government steps up its initiatives to develop the country's remote eastern islands.

The state aircraft manufacturer, IPTN, unveiled its latest product, the N250, at IAS '96. The N250 turboprop carrier is the pride of Indonesia. It is the first commercial aircraft designed and made completely by Indonesian engineers and technicians. Various types of IPTN freight, passenger, and executive jet planes are being built.

According to show organizers, IPTN signed contracts worth $2.73 billion and other companies did $1.75 billion worth of business. Indonesia's national carrier, Garuda, signed a $1.6 billion contract with Boeing for six B777200 and seventeen B737 aircraft. Garuda also signed an agreement to buy three McDonnell Douglas MD11 aircraft for $150 million. IPTN signed 48 orders with Indonesian domestic carriers for its new 68-seat N250.

Military participation in IAS '96 was extensive and impressive, with the United States contingent having the most diversified lineup of naval and air force aircraft. Static displays included: a U.S. Navy P3C Update III Orion antisubmarine/antisurface warfare aircraft from Misawa Air Base (AB), Japan; a B1B Lancer bomber, from McConnell Air Force Base (AFB), Kansas; two F15C Eagle air superiority fighters and two KC135 Stratotanker air refueling aircraft from Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan; and two F16C Fighting Falcons from Misawa AB, Japan.

United States military participation in the air show demonstrated the U.S. commitment to the Asia-Pacific region and supported the U.S. Pacific Command's Cooperative Engagement strategy. Cooperative Engagement encourages regional partnerships, works towards the common goals of stability and economic prosperity, and facilitates international cooperation. The display and demonstration of U.S. defense equipment and capabilities at IAS '96 underscored the U.S. commitment to regional presence, and cooperative security.

A U.S. Pacific Air Forces' F16C Aerial Demonstration Team from the 14th Fighter Squadron, 35th Fighter Wing, Misawa AB, Japan, demonstrated the F16C's high performance capabilities. The fighter performed high and low speed maneuvers, rapid rolls, and maximum performance climbs and descents to the "oohs" and "aahs" of the crowd attending IAS '96.

Highlighting day two of IAS '96, was the flyby of two U.S. Navy F14Ds, F/A18Cs, A6Es and EA6Bs, and one E2C, S3B and ES3A from Carrier Air Wing 14 from the Aircraft Carrier USS Carl Vinson. The U.S. Navy aircraft arrived over show center precisely on time and in flights of four.

A B1B Lancer bomber from McConnell AFB, Kansas landed at IAS '96 after flying nonstop from Kansas to Jakarta. Part of the bomber's mission involved air exercises over the Republic of Korea, then exercises with the Japanese over the South China Sea, before refueling in the air and proceeding to Jakarta.

After participating in IAS '96 as part of the U.S. military static display for four days, the B1B departed IAS '96 on 25 June. Visitors to IAS '96 watched in awe as the Kansas Air National Guard B1B swiftly accelerated down the runway in full afterburner. Contrails spun off the wingtips in the sweltering heat. The gear and flaps came up quickly and the crew swept the wings back to 25 degrees for climbout.

The B1B headed for the island of Sumatra, where it joined a combined force of U.S. F15s and Indonesian F16s in a first ever training mission over the Siabu military range by U.S. aircraft. Prior to the Siabu range mission, the B1B was refueled by two KC135 tanker aircraft from Kadena AB, Japan that also took off from IAS '96.

On board one of the KC135 tankers were U.S. Pacific Air Forces Vice Commander, Lt. Gen. Eugene D. Santarelli, Indonesia's 1st Air Force's Operation Command Commander, Air Vice Marshal Sidi Purnomo, and Inspector General Air Vice Marshal Mahpudin Taka. They witnessed the mission and discussed Indonesian and U.S. military relations. The range reported a direct hit on the targeted runway by two conventional type bombs. After the mission, the crew of the B1B headed back home to Kansas, while the KC135s and F15s returned to IAS '96 for the remainder of the show.

Other military aircraft on display at IAS '96 included Sukhoi Su27 and Su30 aircraft from the Russian Federation Air Force and the MikoyanMAPO MiG29 fighter from the Royal Malaysian Air Force. These Russian fighters dazzled the crowd daily with their powerful afterburning engines and tailslide maneuvers. A British Aerospace Hawk 100, the first example of which was recently delivered to the Indonesian Air Force, also flew daily. The aircraft is part of a 24 Hawk 100/200 order announced in 1993. Also providing crowd excitement was the British Royal Navy's Westland Lynx III helicopter, crewed by Lt. Cdr. Mike Broughton and Lt. Claire Harriman. She is the only woman observer in the Royal Navy, responsible for weapons, navigation, and operating rescue equipment. The Lynx flew from the UK to IAS '96 in two days - in a Russian cargo aircraft!

On 27 June, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Mickey Kantor visited IAS '96 and met with Dr. B.J. Habibie, Indonesia's Minister of Research and Technology. Mr. Kantor witnessed a live demonstration of Jakarta's automated air traffic control system, the $14 million Hughes Electronics Guardian modular software system. This is the first Guardian installation in the world and Hughes has more orders from China and Saudi Arabia. Mr. Kantor also announced that Indonesia remains a priority on Washington's foreign trade map and that the U.S. will continue to support trade ties and investment in Indonesia. He said that Indonesia, the largest country within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), contained tremendous business opportunities for American companies.

The success of IAS '96 continues to raise the status of Indonesian aerospace activities, leading President Soeharto to announce an acceleration of the next show and a name change. "With the rapid progress in aerospace technology made by other countries, along with the progress Indonesia has made in this technology, future air shows of this kind can be held at shorter intervals, once every two years," President Soeharto told more than 2,000 guests attending the opening ceremony. "Beginning in 1998, this air show will be called the Asia-Pacific HiTech and Aerospace Show," he proclaimed.