WHAT IS THE PLAN?
Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin announced the proposal during a meeting with lawmakers in parliament at the end of May.
Sjafrie said that when he met his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, last year at the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Defence Ministers Meeting Plus, Hegseth made Indonesia a unique offer.
“He offered: ‘What if I centralise maintenance for the C-130s throughout Asia in Indonesia at our expense?’ I reported to the president, who said: ‘Give Kertajati’. We’re working on it,” said Sjafrie, referring to President Prabowo Subianto.
No other details were revealed and it is unclear if the plan is meant for C-130 aircraft owned by the US specifically.
The C-130 Hercules is a turboprop military transport aircraft used by many air forces around the world due to its versatility in tactical airlift operations.
It was launched in the 1950s and American manufacturer Lockheed Martin has produced dozens of variants over the years.
Defence analyst Alman Helvas Ali from Marapi Consulting and Advisory said the plan should not automatically be read as turning Kertajati into a US military base.
He said that the proposal, as he understands it from people familiar with the matter, concerned maintenance capability for the newer C-130J Hercules aircraft, rather than older Hercules variants already serviced elsewhere in the region.
If true, this would mean the airport would not be a military hub, as it would serve only the C-130J.
In response to CNA’s queries, Indonesia’s defence ministry said it could not share more details at this stage.
“The two parties discussed opportunities for collaboration in the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of Hercules/C-130 aircraft, which is still in the early and exploratory stages,” the defence ministry spokesperson Rico Sirait told CNA on Jun 5.
“Currently, no final decisions have been made regarding the cooperation model, financing scheme, service coverage, operational targets, or other technical aspects.”
Rico added that all of these matters required further discussion among the relevant parties, while taking into account Indonesia’s national interests.
According to Alman, the role of the government would most likely be as a facilitator in a business-to-business arrangement, with Lockheed Martin providing technical assistance to a local partner.
He said it seemed to be a commercial plan and that was different from the US setting up a military maintenance depot of its own in Indonesia.
The main problem is that the government has not explained the plan clearly enough, including who will own the facility, who will control access, whether US military personnel will be stationed there and what role Indonesian companies will play, said Alman.
Without answers, the issue becomes vulnerable to what he described as public “paranoia”, referring to the controversies surrounding the plan, with some questioning what Indonesia would need to give in return if the budget is from the US.
Yohanes from the University of Jenderal Achmad Yani in West Java shared similar views.
“It really depends on the terms of the agreement. And actually, Hercules’ repairs aren’t limited to just one area,” said Yohanes.
“They are not just in Indonesia but also in Japan, Canada, and Australia, for example.”
