Indonesia has ordered 17 additional medium-lift helicopters for the armed forces, the country’s primary defence contractor announced on 9 January.
As part of a wider deal for 17 medium-lift helicopters for the armed forces, the Indonesian Army is to receive nine new Bell 412EPIs to augment the 412EPs (pictured) it has been operating since 2012. (IHS Markit/Patrick Allen)
PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) disclosed on its official Twitter page that the contract comprises eight Airbus Helicopters H225Ms for the Indonesian Air Force (Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Udara: TNI-AU) and nine Bell 412EPIs for the Indonesian Army (Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Darat: TNI-AD).
The disclosure did not include contract values or delivery timelines. As with previous national contracts for the same or similar helicopter types, the new H225Ms will likely first be delivered to PTDI for mission equipment outfitting and customisation before being handed over to the armed forces, while the 412EPIs will be licence-built in Indonesia.
The TNI-AU already fields three of the six H225M helicopters ordered in 2012, with deliveries ongoing. These aircraft are operated in the combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) and special forces support roles by Aviation Squadron 9, based at Suryadarma in Jakarta. At the time that the first contract was announced it was noted that up to 10 additional helicopters would be procured.
The Bell 412EPI order for the TNI-AD will see the army replace some of its older 412SP helicopters that have been in service since 1986, and augment its complement of 412EP helicopters that have been in service since 2012. The latest-variant 412EPI features a fully integrated ‘glass’ flight deck and more powerful Pratt & Whitney PT6T-9 Twin Pac engines that increase the helicopter’s ‘hot and high’ lifting capacity by as much as 1,410 lb (640 kg).
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