Indonesian Air Force deploys 11 aircraft to combat forest, land fires
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Air Force has deployed 11 transport aircraft to help extinguish forest and land fires across the country, Air Commodore Feri Yunaldi, the force's information office head, said on Thursday.
The deployment followed President Prabowo Subianto's order to use Hercules aircraft to support forest and land fire mitigation.
The fleet includes C-130 Hercules, C-130J-30 Super Hercules, CASA 212, CN-295 and the Air Force's newest transport aircraft, the A-400M, Yunaldi said.
All 11 aircraft are delivering logistics, including dry ice and sodium chloride (NaCl) for weather modification operations in several regions, he said.
"The deployed aircraft consisted of five CASA 212s, two C-130H Hercules, and one CN-295 to support the seeding of weather modification material," Yunaldi said.
Two C-130J-30 Super Hercules moved seeding material from Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base to the Sjamsudin Noor base in Banjarmasin and the Sri Mulyono Herlambang base. The A-400M carried cold storage containers, he added.
The aircraft have supported weather modification operations for several days, and rain has begun falling in some fire-affected areas as a result, Yunaldi said.
The Air Force will keep its transport aircraft ready for national needs, including military operations other than war (OMSP), such as forest and land fire mitigation.
"To ensure that the defense equipment and mission equipment are ready for continuous use, the Air Force Maintenance Command, together with relevant maintenance units, is carrying out preparation, inspections, repairs, and testing," Yunaldi said.
The Air Force is also working with outside parties to inspect and maintain aircraft engines.
The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and technicians from maintenance depots are involved in the inspections to ensure equipment readiness and operational continuity, he said.
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Translator: Walda Marison, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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