SINGAPORE - The air forces of Singapore and Indonesia marked the 20th edition of their Exercise Elang Indopura in Indonesia on Monday (Dec 17).

Lasting 14 days, the exercise held its closing ceremony at the Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force Base in Pekanbaru in the Riau province, where it was officiated by both Major-General Mervyn Tan, chief of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), and Air Chief Marshal Yuyu Sutisna, Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU).

More than 150 personnel from both sides took part in it, with the air manoeuvring element conducted from Dec 4 to Monday at the Indonesian air base, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said in a statement on Monday.

The flying machines included 16 fighter aircraft, such as the RSAFs F-16C and the TNI AU's F-16A/B and Hawk 109/209.

A command post exercise was held earlier from Nov 7 to 9 at Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore.

Major-General Tan said in a statement that since 1980, when the first exercise was held, the air forces have gone from flying Indonesia's F-86 Sabre and Singapore Hawker Hunter fighter planes in simple missions to using the Hawks and F-16s together in complex scenarios.

"It is truly heartening to see how much we have grown together and how far we have come," he added.

The Mindef statement added that the exercise "serves as an excellent platform to enhance the professionalism and inter-operability between the two air forces".

It added that the exercise underscored the "close and longstanding bilateral defence relations" between Singapore and Indonesia.