Indonesia moved forward with an acquisition 17 new-build medium-lift helicopters for its armed forces on January 9, signing the contract with the country’s primary aerospace manufacturer, state-owned PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI). The helicopters ordered include eight H225M Cougars intended for the Air Force and nine Bell 412EPIs slated for delivery to the Army. Neither the value of the order nor delivery dates was provided.
Seremonial Penandatanganan Kontrak 8 unit Helikopter H225M untuk TNI Angkatan Udara dan 9 unit Helikopter Bell-412EPI untuk TNI Angkatan Darat.
Baca selengkapnya https://t.co/zuFOwfCfQp #PTDI #H225M #Bell412EP #BanggaPunyaPTDI #BUMNHadirUntukNegeri pic.twitter.com/mGcX266o1j
— Dirgantara Indonesia (@officialptdi) January 9, 2019
The eight H225Ms will be produced in France before being shipped to Indonesia for outfitting with mission equipment and customization prior to final handover to the Air Force. Indonesia’s Air Force, the Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Udara (or TNI-AU), previously ordered six H225Ms on March 12, 2012, for use in the combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) role. Three of these are currently in use with the Aviation Squadron 9 based at Suryadarma in Jakarta. Deliveries of the remaining three units are ongoing.
The Indonesian Army (TNI-Angkatan Darat, or TNI-AD) currently fields older Bell 412SP models that date back to the mid-1980s and are used in the utility role, as well as four 412EP (“Enhanced Performance”) models ordered on December 1, 2011. These are assigned to Indonesian Army Aviation wing’s Assault Squadron 21. The latest order of nine Bell 412EPIs will allow the Army to replace some of the older 412SP units and supplement the four 412EPs.
Dan Darling is Forecast International’s director of military and defense markets. In this role, Dan oversees a team of analysts tasked with covering everything from budgeting to weapons systems to defense electronics and military aerospace. Additionally, for over 17 years Dan has, at various times, authored the International Military Markets reports for Europe, Eurasia, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.
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