- President Prabowo Subianto expresses keen interest in Pakistan Air Force’s training ecosystem
- ACM Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu underscores shared values, brotherhood with Indonesia
- Indonesian air chief seeks PAF support for operational, flying training as military leaders discuss joint training, professional exchanges and aerospace collaboration
- ACM Sidhu conferred Indonesian Air Force’s highest Medal of Honour
RAWALPINDI: Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu on Friday underscored the shared values and longstanding brotherhood between Pakistan and Indonesia, as Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto expressed keen interest in leveraging the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) training ecosystem and aerospace development infrastructure to enhance Indonesia’s defence capabilities.
According to a statement issued by the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, the Indonesian president conveyed his interest during a meeting with the Pakistan Air Force chief, who called on him during his official visit to Indonesia.
#ISPR
Rawalpindi, 13 February, 2026Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, NI (M), HJ, Chief of Air Staff, #Pakistan Air Force, during his official visit to #Indonesia, called on President Prabowo Subianto.
During the meeting, the Air Chief underscored the shared values… pic.twitter.com/Gxp2M1hZzy
— Pakistan Armed Forces News 🇵🇰 (@PakistanFauj) February 13, 2026
“During the meeting, the air chief underscored the shared values and longstanding brotherhood between Pakistan and Indonesia, and President Prabowo expressed keen interest in leveraging PAF’s state-of-the-art training ecosystem and aerospace development infrastructure to enhance Indonesia’s defence capabilities,” the statement said.
Earlier, the air chief held separate high-level meetings with Indonesian Defence Minister Lieutenant General (Retd) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, the commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, and the Indonesian Air Chief. He was accorded a guard of honour at all venues, the statement added.
“During discussions with the Indonesian air chief, both sides deliberated on enhanced air force-to-air force cooperation, joint training from basic to advanced levels, professional exchanges, and collaboration in emerging aerospace domains,” the ISPR statement said.
It further noted that the Indonesian air chief sought the PAF’s support in advancing operational and flying training, acknowledging the force’s rich combat experience.
In recognition of his role in strengthening bilateral air power cooperation, the highest award of the Indonesian Air Force — the Medal of Honour — was conferred upon ACM Sidhu.
ISPR said the air chief also held a joint meeting with the Indonesian defence minister and chief of defence forces, during which a wide range of defence and security matters were discussed.
“The Indonesian leadership appreciated the PAF’s professionalism and modernisation drive, and lauded the advanced technological infrastructure of the National Aerospace Science & Technology Park,” the statement added.
The ISPR further recalled that the Indonesian defence minister, who led a delegation to Pakistan in January, had also met ACM Sidhu during his visit.
During that meeting at Air Headquarters in Islamabad, the air chief briefed the delegation on the PAF’s modernisation drive, including infrastructure development, revamped training mechanisms, and the induction of niche capabilities to enhance readiness for multi-domain operations.
For his part, the Indonesian defence minister praised the PAF’s professionalism, combat readiness, and indigenisation achievements under the National Aerospace Science and Technology Park, while expressing strong interest in expanding cooperation in training, aviation, and aerospace domains.
Separately, the Indonesian defence minister had also met Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
“The meeting focused on matters of mutual interest, evolving regional and global security dynamics, and exploration of avenues for enhancing bilateral defence cooperation,” an ISPR statement said at the time.
