Joko to Discuss Much Criticized Helicopter Import Plan After Paris Summit
Jakarta. President Joko Widodo will discuss the much criticized plan by the Indonesian Air Force to import three helicopters for $165 million for the president and visiting heads of state, senior officials said on Sunday.
“We will discuss it after the president returns back to Indonesia,” Vice president Jusuf Kalla said at the Halim Perdanakusuma airport, after the president departed for Paris, France to attend the UN Climate Change Summit (COP 21). The summit is held from Nov 30 to Dec 11.
Air Marshall Agus Supriatna last week said the Air Force planned to buy three AgustaWestland AW101 helicopters for $55 million each, adding that they would be customized to be bulletproof and have their own anti-missile defense systems.
Kalla said the president never proposed for the Air Force to buy new VVIP helicopters, let alone choose the more expensive Anglo-Italian helicopters over locally-made Super Puma by Indonesian aerospace and defense firm Dirgantara Indonesia — under license from France’s Aérospatiale.
Coordinating Minister for Politics, Legal and Security Luhut Pandjaitan said Joko might order the Air Force to buy Dirgantara helicopters instead of the imported ones, or cancel the purchase entirely.
The options “will be discussed when the president returns. We don't want to speculate [what the president might say]. But we will evaluate whether the current [VVIP] helicopters need to be replace or not,” Luhut said.
Joko hinted on Saturday that he might cancel the plan entirely saying that he preferred to travel by car.
“I use [a helicopter] no more than once a month or once every two months,” the president said.
The import plan has received numerous criticisms from politicians and aviation experts saying that buying Dirgantara's Super Puma would be cheaper, save maintenance costs, boost the state firm's capabilities and help promote local products.
Tags: Keywords: