Jakarta – The British government is planning to provide scholarships and training for Indonesian Air Force personnel, including fighter pilots, as part of its aid to improve the quality of the Air force's human resources, Antara reported.

After a breaking of the fast gathering on Monday, the Indonesian Air Force Chief of Staff Air Marshal Hanafie Asnan said he had discussed the possibility of the aid with British Ambassador Richard Gozney last week.

"The British government is ready to give scholarships to improve the human resources of the Indonesian Air Force," Hanafie said, adding that hopefully the military aid would be realized asearly next month. Hanafie also said he had already selected a number of Air Force officers to participate in the program.

He said if the Indonesian Air Force strengthens with the British assistance, so would its role in the Asia-Pacific region because neighboring countries like Australia and New Zealand had close historical relationship with Britain.

Hanafie also said the Indonesian Air Force was trying to buy military aircraft spare parts from countries outside the United States, like China and Russia, because the US had imposed a military embargo on Indonesia. He admitted the embargo on fighter aircraft spare parts had created myriad problems and reduced the Air Force's overall performance.