Russian bomber ‘visit’ to Indonesia had Australia's defence force alert - but not alarmed

THE Chief of the Australian Defence Force has told a Senate committee that the air force was ‘postured’ to engage two Russian bombers that came close to Australian air space in December.

THE Royal Australian Air Force was “postured” before Christmas to respond in case two Russian bombers approached Australian air space, the Defence Force chief has told a Senate Estimates committee.

Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin confirmed the RAAF had monitored TU 95 Russian Bear bombers which visited a military base in Indonesia’s Papua province in December.

“We monitored them, we were postured – and I won’t talk about operational postures in this forum – but we were postured in case those aircraft got airborne and came down closer to Australia,’’ Air Chief Marshall Binksin said.

The move came as part of a joint ‘surge’ between Chinese and Russian air forces into skies that had previously been outside their areas of operations.

Два стратегических ракетоносца Ту-95МС и два самолета Ил-76МД Воздушно-космических сил совершили перелет с аэродрома в Амурской области на аэродром Биак Республики Индонезия в рамках международного визита https://t.co/bjZGtzEwcJ pic.twitter.com/dld9pmGj4K

— Минобороны России (@mod_russia) December 5, 2017

As part of the exercise, two Russian strategic bombers along with two heavy airlifters carrying 81 military and support personnel visited the Indonesian state of Biak, Papua, to Australia’s north.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence stated it was an “air alert mission over neutral waters of South Pacific Ocean”.

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The ADF went into a state of ‘increased readiness’.

“I am very comfortable in this case that we were postured quite appropriately should those aircraft have come south and started to enter our EZ (Economic Zone) or come closer to our territorial air space,’’ Binksin said.

In November 2014, a Russian warship group in the Coral Sea moved towards Australia when President Vladimir Putin visited Brisbane for a G20 leaders’ summit.

Australia responded by deploying navy ships and surveillance aircraft.

Air Chief Marshal Binksin said the deployment of Russian bombers so close to Australia had been “unusual”.

“From our side we’re tasked with maintaining surveillance and situational awareness around our northern - in fact all our – approaches,” he said.

Originally published as Russian bomber ‘visit’ to Indonesia had Australia's defence force alert - but not alarmed