TSAMTO, September 10. As several anonymous sources told Defense News, the command of the Indonesian Air Force without publicity signed a contract with Lockheed Martin Corporation for the purchase of BTA C-130J "Super Hercules" aircraft.
Earlier, government and industry sources told Defense News that Indonesia will receive five C-130J aircraft under a contract signed in the format of a direct commercial sale. The agreement was concluded at the end of 2019, although neither party officially discloses information about the order. The sources provided the information on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose this information.
An unofficial confirmation of the transaction was a visit by the Chief of Staff (commander) Indonesian Air Force Air Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo (Fadjar Prasetyo) of the Lockheed Martin enterprise in Marietta (Georgia), where he was photographed next to the C-130 cockpit, which was in the process of assembly, on which the Indonesian flag was applied.
In addition, Lockheed Martin has already included Indonesia in the list of buyers of the C-130J, releasing a newsletter on this type of aircraft in September 2021, which reports that the country has ordered an extended version of the C-130J-30.
F.Prasetyo also visited the headquarters of Lockheed Martin in Bethesda (Maryland), noting after the visit that the delivery of C-130J will increase Indonesia's capabilities in the field of air transportation. He added that the fleet of obsolete C-130 aircraft of the Indonesian Air Force has been used to support actions to assist victims of natural disasters for many years, as well as to counter the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic by delivering vaccines and medical equipment throughout the country, located on 17 thousand islands.
Given the remoteness of many islands, regular volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods, and other natural disasters, the ability to effectively perform air transportation is vital for the Indonesian armed forces.
Currently, the Air Force has about a dozen C-130B, C-130H and L-100 aircraft in service. This number includes nine transferred from the Australian Air Force after the repair of the C-130H.
Lockheed Martin Corporation has not yet officially commented on the sale of the C-130J to Indonesia.
As reported by TSAMTO, at the end of 2018, Lockheed Martin representative Richard Johnston confirmed that the American corporation was interacting with the Indonesian Air Force and provided a response to a request for information about the possibility of purchasing C-130J aircraft. In cooperation with the Air Force, Lockheed Martin has developed a roadmap for the implementation of the project, taking into account the service life and condition of the existing C-130. This made it possible to assess the needs for repair and replacement of aircraft.
At the same time, a Lockheed Martin representative confirmed that in order to accelerate the delivery, the purchase of the C-130J for Indonesia will probably be implemented under a direct commercial contract, and not under the "Foreign Military Sales"program.
