GMFI Enters Defense Industry, Observer: Need To Think About Priority Of Returns In The Future

Illustration/Photo: Antara

JAKARTA - Military observer Beni Sukadis welcomed PT. Garuda Maintenance Facility Aero Asia Tbk (GMFI) or GMF AeroAsia which is a subsidiary of PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) has entered the defense industry.

"We need to think about what kind of trade-off priorities the Indonesian government will need in the future," said Beni Sukadis in a written statement received in Jakarta, Monday, March 21.

He conveyed this after GMF AeroAsia steadily expanded into the defense industry, and succeeded in obtaining certification from the US aerospace company Lockheed Martin.

The license is related to the maintenance capacity of the C-130H Hercules aircraft for overhaul, refurbishment, and modification.

In the future, he continued, what the government should do is intensify more co-production or licenses for spare parts products for the main weapons system equipment (defense equipment) that are included in the Indonesian squadron. For example, the F16 and fighter jets to be purchased are the Rafale.

The success of the Garuda Indonesia subsidiary cannot be separated from the government's steps, in this case, the Ministry of Defense, which continues to intensify cooperation with other countries.

Certification from Lockheed Martin was obtained through an offset project agreement (OPA) between the Ministry of Defense and Lockheed Martin. Thus, GMFI is trusted to maintain all of Indonesia's C-130 fleet.

In line with that, CSA Research Institute Senior Analyst Reza Priyambada said the certificate shows support for GMFI's competence in the defense industry.

"The certificate is a support for their competence which is expected to provide added value and added value in enlarging expansion," he said.

According to Reza, the prospect of GMFI in the future in the defense industry sector can be supported by several other factors. One of them is an aircraft maintenance contract.

Not only that, he believes the government's support to develop the domestic defense industry will have a positive impact. This needs to be followed by payment terms that can help the company's "cash flow" run smoothly.

As additional information, GMFI received a certificate from Lockheed Martin after an assessment by the Indonesia Military Airworthiness Authority. The assessment includes document verification to conformity and function testing.

The certification is carried out so that aspects of the feasibility of maintaining defense equipment, especially transport aircraft with military registration, have good standardization.