Indonesia Modernizes Airlifter Fleet

 An A400M in notional TNI-AU colors is depicted operating from the kind of rough strip that is common throughout Indonesia's more remote regions. (Photo: Airbus) ✈️

While defense analysts in Indonesia have naturally focused on what multirole fighter the nation will buy next—with the Boeing F-15EX and Dassault Rafale seen as the current front-runners—an equally important air force investment program already has gotten underway. A major recapitalization of the airlifter fleet has already seen the air force acquire Airbus C295 medium transports—assembled in-country by PT DI—to replace elderly Fokker F27s, and place orders for both the Lockheed Martin C-130J and Airbus A400M for service with the Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Udara (TNI-AU, Indonesian air force).

Given Indonesia’s geography, airlift is a crucial task for the TNI-AU. The large nation extends across an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands spanning 3,000 miles from East to West. Moreover, the nation includes many of the world’s most active volcanoes and its tectonic setting results in numerous earthquakes and tsunamis. Airlift is not only vital for force deployment and support, but also for relief and supply missions following natural disasters.

For many years the Lockheed Hercules has served as the backbone of the TNI-AU’s transport fleet, with the service arm having operated 39 different aircraft. The manufacturer delivered the first batch of C-130Bs starting in 1960, and a number of them remain in service today. One of a pair of KC-130Bs included in the batch with inflight refueling capability remains active. C-130Hs and stretched C-130H-30s followed in the late 1970s, including one C-130H-MP outfitted for maritime reconnaissance, which crashed in 1985. The air force took over five L-100-30s from civilian operators.

KSAU (TNI AU)

In the 2010s the TNI-AU received from Australia nine C-130Hs rendered surplus by the delivery of the C-130J Super Hercules to the Royal Australian Air Force. Australia gifted four to Indonesia and sold five at discounted prices. Today, the mixed fleet flies with four squadrons: Skadron Udara 17 and 31 at Jakarta-Halim Perdana, SkU 32 at Malang-Abdul Rahman Saleh, and SkU 33 at Ujung Pandang-Hasanuddin.

A crash in 1991 that killed 133 of the 134 onboard plus two people on the ground marred the C-130's career in Indonesia. Another crash in 2015 (122 fatalities on board and 17 on the ground) sparked a national outcry at the state of the aging Hercules fleet, underlined by an accident in the following year that resulted in the loss of all 13 on board.

In response to those accidents, Indonesia began looking for more modern airlifters and ordered five C-130J-30 Super Hercules in 2019 from Lockheed Martin in a direct commercial sale. In September 2021 the order came to light during a visit by the Air Force Chief of Staff, Air Chief Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo, to the Marietta factory, where construction began on the first example.

“By obtaining an aircraft with modern engines, technology, and avionics systems, it is a big step for the Indonesian air force to adapt its air transport operations doctrine,” said Prasetyo, adding that the C-130J “will significantly improve the capabilities of the air force.” In November 2021 the country also announced that the C-130Hs will undergo upgrades with digital "glass" cockpits, based on Collins Aerospace Flight2 avionics.

A more public order came to light on November 18, when Indonesia announced it would purchase two A400M airlifters from Airbus, along with a maintenance and training support package. At the same time, Indonesia lodged a letter of intent to buy four more. Plans call for delivery of the aircraft in a multirole transport and tanker configuration, boosting the TNI-AU’s refueling capability, which currently relies on the sole remaining KC-130B. Indonesia shelved original plans for a commercial third-party operator to acquire A400Ms and then lease them to the TNI-AU as required in favor of a direct air force purchase.

A400M & Rafale, Portrait of the Indonesian Air Force fleet for the next few years

Disaster relief was a prime consideration in the decision to buy the aircraft for the nation. An effort to modernize and increase the TNI-AU’s transport capability got underway in 2018 in the aftermath of the magnitude 7.5 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Sulawesi. During the relief effort, the A400M was the first airlifter that could land on the damaged and short runway at Palu, bringing in vital excavators, fuel trucks, food, clothes, and medical supplies.

“The A400M is a truly multi-role platform and will greatly enhance the Indonesian air force’s tactical air-to-air capabilities. This aircraft will play a key role in other key missions including paratrooping and heavy cargo transportation,” said Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia’s defense minister. “We are also looking at additional A400M acquisition in the near term, with future A400M developments such as firefighting an important capability we are exploring jointly with Airbus. The A400M will become a national asset and the cornerstone for human assistance and disaster response missions, beyond its tactical and air-to-air refueling capabilities.”

When its airlift modernization comes to fruition, Indonesia will join France, Germany, and the UK in operating both the C-130J and the larger A400M. For Airbus, the Indonesian order represents renewed hope for the A400M following an order for two from Kazakhstan and reports of discussions over additional contracts, possibly including a follow-on buy by the UK. 

  ☆ AINonline