Indonesia receives latest C-130J Super Hercules

The Indonesian Air Force has received the fourth of five Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules transport aircraft at the service’s Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in Jakarta, the country’s MoD announced on 24 January.

Indonesia defence minister Prabowo Subianto handed over the aircraft to Air Force chief of staff, Air Chief Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo. President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) was also present at the ceremony.

“Today, we witnessed the handover of the Super Hercules C-130J aircraft,” Jokowi remarked. “This is a transport aircraft that is very important for war and non-war purposes.”

Jokowi added that the Super Hercules was a perfect fit for Indonesia due to its short runways.

“Some airports only have a short runway,” he said. “This Super Hercules can land on a short runway and it can also fly for 11 hours non-stop.”

Indonesia ordered five C-130Js in a direct commercial sale in 2019, although the deal remained unconfirmed until 2021. The country took delivery of the first aircraft in February 2023, while the third transport aircraft arrived in August.

Earlier this week, Lockheed Martin also delivered the first of eight C-130J-30 tactical airlifters to the US Georgia Air National Guard.

More than 20 countries operate the C-130J worldwide, with the US military being the largest user of the aircraft with a requirement for almost 200 aircraft.