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House questions purchase of AW 101 chopper by Air Force

A legislative commission has said it will pay a visit to the Indonesian Air Force to seek clarification of its controversial purchase of a British-made chopper AgustaWestland (AW) 101, which they say may go against national policy aiming to develop the local defense industry

Arya Dipa and Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta/Bandung
Wed, December 28, 2016 Published on Dec. 28, 2016 Published on 2016-12-28T00:11:42+07:00

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legislative commission has said it will pay a visit to the Indonesian Air Force to seek clarification of its controversial purchase of a British-made chopper AgustaWestland (AW) 101, which they say may go against national policy aiming to develop the local defense industry.

House of Representatives Commission I, overseeing defense, foreign affairs and information, said the Air Force had never disclosed its plan to purchase the helicopter.

“We don’t know exactly why they bought the AW 101 helicopter. We only set their budget,” the commission’s chairman, Abdul Kharis Almasyhari of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

House deputy speaker Agus Hermanto said the Air Force needed to discuss with House Commission I every time they sought to procure defense equipment.

He also reminded the Air Force that it should prioritize locally produced equipment for its defense needs.

“According to the 2012 Defense Industry Law, we should prioritize local production. If the Air Force wants to import equipment, they better have good reasons,” the Democratic Party politician said as quoted by Antara news agency. “Commission I has to evaluate cases like this and monitor future procurement,” he added.

The Defense Industry Policy Committee (KKIP) said the Air Force had not submitted a request for the AW 101’s purchase. “We didn’t receive a request [for the helicopter]. We uphold the regulation that all procurements require permits from the committee,” KKIP organization team deputy head ret. Middle Marshal Eris Heriyanto, said during an aviation event in Bandung, West Java, on Tuesday.

The Air Force has confirmed that it had bought the AW 101 chopper for search and rescue operations.

Aviation photographer Rich Pittman posted a photo of the chopper donning the Indonesian Air Force symbol on his Twitter account @RotorRich78. He tweeted “Yes for Indonesia” in reply to @MinazioBivacco that asked him if the chopper was “Indonesian?”.

His post was retweeted by Tony Osborne @Rotorfocus. Tony also posted the same picture with the caption “Maiden flight of the unannounced Indonesian @AgustaWestland #AW101 order snapped at #Yeovil today. Picture by Rich Pittman”.

In December last year, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo rejected the Air Force’s proposal to buy the AW 101 chopper for presidential purposes because it was too costly at Rp 761 billion (US$56.5 million), given the country’s current financial condition.

Air Force chief of staff Air Chief Marshal Agus Supriyatna claimed that the president rejected the initial plan to purchase the AW 101 because it would be used as a presidential helicopter, while the one it just bought would be used for military, as well as search and rescue purposes.

Eris, however, stressed that the KKIP had the authority to control the Air Force’s strategic defense procurement if the country was able to produce similar equipment.

State-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI) has produced full combat, search and rescue EC725 Super Puma choppers, whose specifications reportedly compare with the AW 101. The DI’s chopper uses twin engines, thus capable of carrying up to 11 tons. “The body and the final assembly [of Super Puma choppers] were done here in Indonesia,” Eris explained.

Air Force spokesperson first marshal Jemi Trisonjaya told the Post that there was nothing wrong with the procurement of the chopper and the government had accepted the procurement plan. “If the government didn’t accept the proposal, there would’ve been no way we could’ve bought it,” Jemi said.

He explained that the president, indeed, rejected the proposal to buy the chopper for presidential needs. However, the Air Force revised the allotment for search and rescue utilization. The Air Force proposed the plan in its 2015 budget to be spent this year. Jemi said the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), Defense Ministry and House of Representatives had accepted the proposal. Jemi said PT DI’s comparable chopper had yet to meet the Air Force’s criteria.

“The Super Puma is far different from it [AW 101]. The AW 101 has double the capabilities of the Super Puma. [The Super Puma] does not meet our standards, while the president said [the Air Force] should have one to meet our operational needs,” Jemi said.

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