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'Don't ask me about helicopters': Jokowi
A technician carries out works on a Super Puma SA 332 C1A helicopter at the hangar of state aircraft manufacturer Dirgantara Indonesia in Bandung on Nov
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A technician carries out works on a Super Puma SA 332 C1A helicopter at the hangar of state aircraft manufacturer Dirgantara Indonesia in Bandung on Nov. 25. The firmâs helicopters have been used by several heads of state and are equipped for use by the President. (Antara/Ovarian Arbi) (Antara/Ovarian Arbi)
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span class="caption">A technician carries out works on a Super Puma SA 332 C1A helicopter at the hangar of state aircraft manufacturer Dirgantara Indonesia in Bandung on Nov. 25. The firm's helicopters have been used by several heads of state and are equipped for use by the President. (Antara/Ovarian Arbi)
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo told reporters on Saturday that all questions pertaining to helicopter procurement should be directed at Air Force chief of staff Air Marshall Agus Supriatna.
"They [Air Force] bought it. I will only be using it once or twice a month," he said as quoted by tempo.co.
The Air Force announced the purchase of three AW 101 helicopters from Rome-based helicopter design and manufacturing company AgustaWestland.
One helicopter will arrive next year while two others in 2017.
Separately, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said on Friday that the Super Puma helicopter he used for work trips was still in good condition.
"The Super Puma that Jokowi and I use is very nice and large," he said as quoted by Antara news agency.
Kalla refused to comment on whether it was necessary to buy a new helicopter. However, he said that the current helicopter he used had been in operation since the presidential term of Abdurrahman Wahid in 1999 to 2001.
Agus previously said that the new helicopter would replace a Super Puma that had been operating for 25 years and had been included in the Air Force's five-year strategic plan.
The lavish helicopter would be used for VVIPs, such as the President, Vice President and state guests
Members of the public and lawmakers have slammed the procurement, which local news outlets reported had a price tag of $55 million per helicopter. (rin)
