ARINC completed an extensive Programmed Depot Maintenance (PDM) project on a C-130H Hercules transport aircraft for the Indonesian Air Force, the company said Monday.
Following months of significant structural and systems repair work at ARINC’s Aircraft Maintenance and Operations in Oklahoma City, the 30-year-old transport plane was flown back to Halim Air Force Base (AFB) in Jakarta, Indonesia. After arrival, a ceremony was held on Feb. 24 at which U.S. Ambassador Scot Marciel formally handed over the aircraft from the U.S. government to the Indonesian Air Force. Representatives from the U.S. Embassy, ARINC Aerospace, and the U.S. Air Force took part in the ceremony at Halim AFB.
ARINC’s customer is the U.S. Air Force C-130 FMS Program Office, and the work represents one of the first awards in more than ten years for the Indonesian Air Force under the U.S. Air Force’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.
Indonesia consists of thousands of islands over a 3,000-mile range. The country’s C-130H aircraft are critical assets used primarily for humanitarian aid and rescue missions in this region prone to earthquakes and flooding. The work performed by ARINC Aerospace is an important first step in improving the Indonesian Air Force airlift capability, and the program was significant in the effort to improving U.S.–Indonesian relations. Robert Moore, ARINC Aerospace Senior Director of Business Development, said, “We look forward to playing a key role in enhancing the capabilities of the Indonesian Air Force. This work demonstrates our range of capabilities as well as our determination to be a leader in military aircraft support.”