T

he government has signed a letter of intent with French aircraft manufacturer Airbus to purchase A400M military transport aircraft to replace the Indonesian Military’s (TNI) aging Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules transporter planes.

The agreement, which covered an unspecified number of aircraft, was made during the state visit of French President Francois Hollande to Jakarta on Wednesday, the French Presidential Office said as quoted by Reuters on Thursday.

Hollande’s visit was aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries in tourism, military, research and technology, and urban development sectors.

Airbus Military Aircraft head Fernando Alonso said on Wednesday that the agreement would become a stepping stone for further collaboration that could eventually boost the Indonesian Air Force’s Mobility Arm, a unit that handles troop transport.

Representing the government in the signing of the contract was air transport company Pelita Air Service, which is a subsidiary of state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina.

“Future discussions will address, among other things, the number of aircraft to be encompassed in an eventual contract and possible industrial cooperation arrangements,” Airbus stated.

If the agreement materializes, Indonesia would be the second country in Southeast Asia to operate A400M after Malaysia, which has already purchased three of the aircraft.

The A400M is a four-engine airlifter capable of transporting heavy loads and is considered suitable to meet the needs of Indonesia, the largest archipelagic country in the world.

In January, reports surfaced that said the government planned to buy five A400M planes amounting to around US$2 billion as it had been unable to find another suitable airlifter.

In August last year, Airbus Defense and Space represented by Alonso visited Indonesia to push the sales of its product.

Indonesian Military (TNI) spokesman Brig. Gen. Wuryanto refused to comment on the new contract when contacted on Thursday.

The TNI currently operates 28 different kinds of C-130s. The C-130 Hercules was first operated in the country in 1954.

Indonesia has long been looking for other air transporter planes to replace the C-130 Hercules, which have been aging and involved in several accidents.

The most recent accident was on Dec. 18, 2016, in Maima District, Jayawijaya regency, Papua, in which a C-130 HS crashed into a mountain during a bad weather.

In June, 2015, a C-130 plane plummeted shortly after taking off from the Soewondo Air Force base in Medan, North Sumatra, killing around 100 people who were on board.