Russia wants to lease air base on Biak Island

Specifically, it is the Manuhua air base on the island of Biak in Indonesia. Finally, some solid evidence supporting the reports of Western analysts that the Russian economy is on the verge of collapse, after all, Biak will be cheaper than Bali even for ordinary tourists.
Russian strategic bombers visited the Manuhua base on their long-distance flights already in 2017 and later the Indonesian government considered more requests from the Russian side for occasional use of the base.

Russian bombers visit Biak in December 2017:

However, an Indonesian government source has now confirmed to OSINT portal Janes that the Russian government has requested a permanent lease of the base. We will see if the deal goes through. The base shared infrastructure with the civilian Frans Kaisiepo International Airport, which the Indonesian government revoked its international flight license in April 2024 and was abandoned by Garuda Indonesia Airways, Indonesia’s national airline. The airport has only one runway, measuring 3,571 meters.

It should be added that the air base on which it is located was named after Air Force Lieutenant Lambertus Manuhua, who fell during the airborne operation Serigala, when he and other members of the landing party were dropped directly on the Dutch barracks. Operation Serigala was part of the larger Soviet-Indonesian military operation Trikora, which resulted in the annexation of West New Guinea to Indonesia after its temporary administration by the UN, in accordance with the New York Treaty of 1962.

So, Russia and Indonesia had a certain common tradition of brotherhood in arms at the end of the colonial era. Even before that, during Tsarist times, prominent Russian scientists, such as the anthropologist, ethnographer and biologist N.N. Miklucho-Maclay, participated in the research of this part of the world and called on the West to respect the local culture and to save the original civilization.

Meanwhile, Indonesia has become an economically and militarily powerful international player and has also sought a strategic alliance with Turkey, including in the area of ​​weapons development. In November 2024, however, Indonesia and Russia conducted a joint naval exercise off the coast of Java, followed by a major international exercise, KOMODO 2025, off the island of Bali.

The Indonesian Air Force’s 27th Air Squadron, which operates CN-235 reconnaissance aircraft, is based at Manuhua and is ready to receive the newly established 9th Air Wing, which is currently being formed without assigned aircraft.

Aircraft such as the CN-235 are not actually manufactured for Indonesia and other countries by the Spanish CASA but by the Indonesian manufacturer IPTN. They serve in both the air force and the navy. The video shows a low flyby of the Indonesian naval reconnaissance and patrol CN-235 MPA alongside a warship:

According to the original version of Janes, the details of Russia’s request to lease the base from Indonesia were still unknown. However, Ukrainian media concluded that Russia wanted to deploy Tu-95MS strategic bombers, Il-76 transports on Biak, or perhaps they meant their tanker version, which is actually called the Il-78 (NATO code “Midas”).

A Russian Tu-142 naval reconnaissance and anti-submarine aircraft derived from the Tu-95 strategic bomber refuels mid-air from an Il-78 during a long-haul flight:

However, Australian Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles later spoke out, saying in a statement on Tuesday evening that he had spoken to his Indonesian counterpart, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, about the reports.

“He told me in the clearest terms that the reports of the prospect of Russian aircraft operating from Indonesia are simply not true,” Marles said. Whether Janes published his first hoax, the Indonesian Defense Minister was not properly informed, or the entire island of Biak was for sale.

The question is whether Ukrainian diplomacy managed to take advantage of the situation and ask Australia for more weapons supplies. For example, the Bushmaster armored car has not been seen in the news from the Ukrainian battlefield for a long time, or rather, still a 4×4. The newer Hawkeis can be kept for now, if the 49 M1A1 Abrams tanks from Australia arrive as soon as possible, there are not many left of the 31 American ones. We will see where this war trail will take us.

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