Order 2 Airbus A400M Aircraft, Defense Minister Prabowo: Will Become A National Asset

Signing of the Airbus A400M aircraft order contract (DOK: Ministry of Defense Public Relations)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Defense signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to order two Airbus A400M aircraft. This aircraft will later be used by the Indonesian Air Force in a multirole tanker and transport configuration.

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto said this aircraft would be a key asset as it carries out several missions including parachuting and heavy cargo transportation.

"In addition to its tactical and air-to-air capabilities, the A400M will become a national asset and play an important role in humanitarian assistance and disaster response missions", Prabowo said in a written statement quoted on Thursday, November 18.

The contract was signed on the sidelines of the 2021 Dubai Airshow and includes a full package of maintenance support, training, and future acquisitions of four A400M aircraft.

For information, this aircraft has been exhibited by Airbus several times at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base, Jakarta in March 2017, and August 2018.

In addition, similar aircraft belonging to the French Air Force was used to send aid to Lombok when it was hit by an earthquake in August 2018 and owned by the Malaysian Air Force during the earthquake and tsunami in Palu in October 2018.