WNAM REPORT: Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto on Monday symbolically handed over an Airbus A400M transport aircraft to Armed Forces (TNI) Commander General Agus Subiyanto at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta.
Before the handover, Prabowo unveiled the Squadron 31 emblem attached to the aircraft’s fuselage and sprinkled water and flowers on its nose gear as part of a traditional blessing ritual. He then inspected the aircraft’s cabin.
During the ceremony, Prabowo was accompanied by Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya.
The A400M, the largest transport aircraft in the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) fleet, landed at the air base earlier in the day to a water salute and will be stationed with Squadron 31.
The Defense Ministry signed a contract for two Airbus A400Ms in multirole tanker and transport configurations at the 2021 Dubai Airshow. The agreement took effect in 2022 and includes maintenance and training support.
A letter of intent was also signed for the potential purchase of four additional aircraft to strengthen the TNI-AU’s transport capabilities.
The Airbus A400M can carry a payload of up to 37 tons, including heavy equipment such as 80-ton fuel trucks and excavators, or up to 116 fully armed personnel.
The aircraft will be used for military logistics and non-combat operations, including humanitarian missions and disaster response.
To prepare for its deployment, 22 personnel — pilots and technicians — have undergone training in Spain with Airbus.
The arrival of the A400M is expected to strengthen Indonesia’s air mobility and regional response capacity for both defense and humanitarian operations.
