JAKARTA, Nov 3 (Bernama) -- Airbus Defence and Space has delivered Indonesia’s first A400M military transport aircraft, marking a major milestone in the country’s efforts to modernise its military transport capabilities.
The heavy tactical airlifter, operated by the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU), was handed over at a ceremony at Halim Air Force Base in East Jakarta after its formal delivery at Airbus’s facility in Seville, Spain.
The aircraft is the first of two A400Ms ordered by Indonesia in 2021, with the second scheduled for delivery next year, the defence and aerospace arm of Europe’s Airbus Group said in a statement.
“Today we welcome Indonesia as the tenth operator of the A400M,” said head of international at Airbus Defence and Space, Karl-Heinz Grossman, adding that for an average mission carrying 30 tonnes, it can fly 2,400 nautical miles, covering the entire archipelago from Jakarta.
Configured for cargo, troop transport, medical evacuation, and humanitarian missions, the A400M carries up to 37 tonnes and can operate from short, unpaved runways or function as an aerial refuelling tanker.
Indonesia is also studying the potential integration of Airbus’s new modular firefighting kit, which would allow both A400Ms to carry and drop up to 20,000 litres of water or retardant to combat wildfires, the statement added.
-- BERNAMA
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