The first of the five Lockheed Martin C-130J-30s ordered by Indonesia arrived in the country on 6 March. (Indonesian Ministry of Defense)
A Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules aircraft ordered by Indonesia has arrived in the country and has been handed over to the Indonesian Air Force (Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara:TNI-AU) for operations.
The aircraft arrived at Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport, East Jakarta, on 6 March. Its handover to the TNI-AU was conducted on 8 March, according to the Indonesian Ministry of Defense (MoD).
The MoD said that the remaining four C-130J-30s under order from Lockheed Martin will be delivered “periodically in June, July, and October 2023”.
“The last aircraft unit will be delivered in January 2024,” the MoD added.
The acquisition of the C-130J-30 will improve the air transport capabilities of the TNI-AU and its attempts to cover the country's expansive territorial and political geography.
The arrival of the new aircraft increases the number of C-130s in TNI-AU service to 27 aircraft, according to Janes data.
According to the Deputy Chief of Staff of the TNI-AU, Air Marshal Agustinus Gustaf Brugman, the new C-130J-30 and the four aircraft on order will be operated by the TNI-AU's Air Squadron 31 at Halim Perdanakusuma Airforce Base. Air Squadron 31's older C-130Hs are to be transferred to Air Squadron 32 at Abdulrachman Saleh Malang Air Force Base, Air Mshl Brugman said during a press conference on 6 March.
Air Mshl Brugman added that many of the C-130s operated by Air Squadron 32 are 1960s-era C-130Bs. These are to be eventually retired. Janes has assessed that Air Squadron 32 currently operates nine C-130s, out of which five are C-130Bs.
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