| In a tense encounter above the Java sea, a group of US warplanes went into attack mode and were ready to fire on Indonesian jet fighters dispatched to intercept them after they flew into Indonesia's airspace. Rear Air Marshal Wresnowiro, head of Indonesia's air defence command, told a news conference that the US navy F-18 Hornets locked onto the Indonesian F-16 warplanes late on Thursday before communication was established and the incident resolved. There were five Hornets in the group, although Rear Air Marshal Wresnowiro did not say if all of them had locked on. 'They adopted an attack manoeuvre. After they locked on, they asked whether the planes were friends or foe and an international sign indicating we're friends was relayed back.' He said the US-made F-16s were dispatched after the US Hornets were picked up by air force radar and also noticed by an Indonesian airliner off the main island of Java. He said the US planes were guarding an aircraft carrier, two frigates and a tanker which were travelling east. He said the convoy was not in an area designated as a legal sea lane for passage, although the country's air force chief earlier said it was. An Indonesian air force spokesman blamed the incident on slow Indonesian bureaucracy, adding the United States had sought permission to pass through but this was not approved in time. |