Tuesday, February 21 , 2023, Lockheed Martin handed over the first of a total of five C-130J-30 Super Hercules tactical transport aircraft to the Indonesian Air Force through a symbolic handover ceremony held in Marietta, Georgia, United States, which also commemorated a new era of operations Hercules by the Indonesian Air Force, as one of the longest serving C-130 operators outside the US.
These weapons were handed over by Vice President (VP) and General Manager for Lockheed Martin’s Air Mobility and Maritime Missions Organization, Rod McLean, in particular, KSAU Marshal TNI Fadjar Prasetyo, received the C-130J-30 Super Hercules with registration number A-1339 . The handover ceremony for the C-130J aircraft was witnessed by the Indonesian Ambassador to the United States Rosan Roslani and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense (Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense) Marsdya TNI Donny Ermawan
The C-130J Super Hercules A-1339 will depart from the United States on February 28, 2023 and is expected to arrive in Indonesia on March 6, 2023. The flight will be accompanied by three crew members of the Indonesian Air Force. Furthermore, the Super Hercules A-1339 will strengthen the 31st Halim Perdana kusuma Air Squadron, Jakarta.
The Indonesian Air Force’s new C-130J-30 tactical transport aircraft has a number of improved features, such as; cargo capacity, speed, range, power, performance, and operational costs that are more economical than the previous C-130 series, to support various Indonesian Air Force missions for decades to come. The new C-130J-30 expands the TNI AU’s ability to partner on various missions and training with Air Forces from other countries which are also Super Hercules operators.
There are many items that really differ between the C-130J Super Hercules and the previous C-130 series. Although externally similar, the C-130J Super Hercules has an all-digital glass cockpit and the new Rolls-Royce AE 2100 engine, and is manned by three personnel – pilot, co-pilot and loadmaster.
Meanwhile, the C-130H Hercules, which is the variant most widely used by the Indonesian Air Force, currently mostly still adopts the analog cockpit, manned by five personnel – pilot, co-pilot, navigator, flight engineer and loadmaster. In short, it can be said that the C-130J can fly farther, fly higher, carry a larger payload, but with lower operating costs than the previous series.
The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Indonesia announced the acquisition of five C-130J-30 Super Hercules tactical transport aircraft in May 2021. Indonesia has operated the C-130 since the 1960s, using the Hercules fleet for important national and regional missions, such as providing humanitarian assistance and post-disaster assistance, as well as providing military and peacekeeping support around the Pacific Rim region.
The C-130J Super Hercules is the world-class choice for tactical airlifting, serving 26 operators in 22 countries. To date, more than 520 C-130J units have been delivered to operators with the capability to support 18 different mission requirements.
The appearance of the Indonesian Air Force’s C-130J-30 Super Hercules received great acclaim from netizens, they especially liked the gray livery which is considered ideal for the operation of Indonesian Air Force transport aircraft.
