The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) yesterday transferred six trainer aircraft to its Indonesian counterpart, and will deliver another 13 more by the end of the year, Singapore's Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

The Indonesian air force accepted Singapore's offer of its decommissioned SF-260 SIAI-Marchetti fleet last year. The transfer was marked by a ceremony held at the Halim Air Base in Jakarta yesterday morning.

The RSAF has trained a team of Indonesian pilots and maintenance crew, and has also delivered the necessary tools and spare-parts for the SF-260 fleet, the statement added.

The Italian-made trainer aircraft was first introduced into the RSAF in September 1971 to provide basic training for RSAF pilot trainees.

The fleet was decommissioned in November 1999 after the RSAF shifted its pilot training programme to Australia and switched to a different type of trainer jet.