TNI AU: Next Year 31th Air Squadron to Operate C-130J Super Hercules

11 Maret 2019

C-130J with TNI AU marking (photo : Defense Studies)

ANGKASAREVIEW.COM - 31th Air Squadron Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base, Jakarta next year will see the arrival of new C-130J aircrafts purchased by the Indonesian government from the United States. The latest Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules variant is scheduled to arrive in the country at the latest next year.

"The contract has been signed by the Ministry of Defense. We hope that of course this year will be delivered. But, this is a procurement process. Actually this year until next year the Indonesian Air Force will get six new C-130J aircraft, "said Head of the Air Force Information Agency (Kadispenau) Marsma TNI Novyan Samyoga when met by Angkasa Review in Mabesau, Cilangkap, East Jakarta, Friday (03/08/2019 )

Quoting the words of the Air Force Chief of Staff (KSAU) Marshal Yuyu Sutisna, Samyoga continuing, the C-130J, commonly called the Super Hercules, will later be placed in the 31st Air Squadron.

"For the type J, KSAU said it would be placed in Jakarta. The type H is in Hasanuddin (Sultan Hasanuddin Air Force Base, Makassar). The type B may be in Abdulrachman Saleh, Malang, "said Kadispenau. "But clearly, this type J will be placed in Jakarta, in the 31st Air Squadron."

Regarding the desire of the Air Force to have a C-130J aircraft, the signal from this hope had already surfaced. In fact, KSAU Marshal Yuyu Sutisna himself said that it was likely that the TNI AU would recommend the C-130J to be selected and purchased.

"The direction is roughly so if we look, because the assessment must of course be comprehensive. We do not want to make any more for example procurement that must prepare excessive infrastructure so that the budget becomes large, " Yuyu told reporters at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, Jakarta on April 7, 2018.

At that time, KSAU said there were three candidate aircraft to be chosen. Namely type Hercules J type, Antonov, and Airbus.

The C-130J is most likely the strongest to be chosen given the infrastructure for Hercules aircraft already in the Air Force and the aircraft is also considered very strong (reliable) used in supporting the tasks of the Air Force and for other activities.

In the holding of IndoDefence, November 2018 in Jakarta, Angkasa Review had the opportunity to attend the Lockheed Martin media briefing on the C-130J and F-16V.

When confirmed, Lockheed Martin said at that time that there had been no contract from Indonesia to purchase C-130J. Lockheed Martin even waited for the contract to purchase this aircraft immediately.

(Angkasa Review)