Lockheed Martin delivered the first of five stretched version — C-130J-30 Super Hercules tactical airlifters to the Indonesian Air Force (IDAF) during a ceremony here today, commemorating a new era in Hercules operations for this longtime C-130 operator.
Ambassador Rosan P Roeslani accompanied Air Chief Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo, the Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force to the C-130J Super Hercules delivery ceremony in Atlanta, Georgia on February 20-21.
The Southeast Asian archipelago nation is also regularly affected by natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and flooding, and together with the remote nature of many of its islands, that means an airlift capability is vital to Indonesia’s military quickly accessing the country’s territory.
The IDAF's new C-130J-30s offer increased cargo capacity, speed, range, power, performance and lower operating costs over its legacy C-130s to support the IDAF's wide range of mission requirements for decades to come. These new C-130J-30s expand the IDAF's ability to partner on missions and training opportunities with allies and regional forces that also operate Super Hercules.
In September 2021, Indonesia had quietly signed a contract with Lockheed Martin for C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft , which got further confirmation during Air Chief Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo’s ongoing visit to the Lockheed Martin facility in Marietta, Georgia, where he was photographed alongside a C-130 cockpit section that was still under construction but already bore the Indonesian flag.
Rod McLean, vice president and general manager, Air Mobility & Maritime Missions programs at Lockheed Martin said,
"Indonesian Air Force crews have long trusted the C-130 to support the most challenging of missions facing Indonesia and other nations in the Pacific," "This new era of Super Hercules operations supports Indonesia in achieving mission success with a highly tailored airlift fleet that ensures IDAF crews can support any task — anywhere, anytime — with more power, strength and capability for decades to come."
Indonesia has operated C-130s since the 1960s, using its Hercules fleet for critical national and regional missions such as delivering humanitarian aid and disaster relief, as well as providing military and peacekeeping support around the Pacific Rim.
The IDAF is an operator of about a dozen C-130B, C-130H and civilian-standard L-100 aircraft, which include nine refurbished C-130Hs transferred from Australia after the latter retired its fleet in favor of the C-130J in 2012.
Lockheed Martin says,
The C-130J Super Hercules is the worldwide choice in tactical airlift, serving 26 operators in 22 nations. To date, more than 520 C-130Js have been delivered and the Super Hercules remains unmatched in its ability to support 18 different mission requirements.
While the first aircraft is scheduled to arrive on March 6 , rest of the deliveries are expected to take place in July 2023, October 2023, and January 2024.
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