Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin has asked PT Dirgantara\nIndonesia and PT Garuda Maintenance Facility Aero Asia Tbk to be\ninvolved in the development of the MRO facility at Kertajati Airport,\nWest Java.<\/p>\n
Sjafrie made the request during a meeting with officials from PT DI,\nPT GMF, and Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force Air Chief Marshal\nMohamad Tonny Harjono aboard a Hercules C-130 aircraft on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps what needs to be our attention is how Garuda and GMF can\ncontinue to work together with PT DI, both in terms of management and\ncapability,\u201d Sjafrie said during the meeting.<\/p>\n
According to him, the involvement of the domestic defence industry is\nnecessary to improve the capability of national companies in aviation\ntechnology.<\/p>\n
Sjafrie said this capability improvement can be supported through\ntechnology transfer between domestic industry and foreign companies that\nmanufacture aircraft.<\/p>\n
He noted that the achievement reflects an improvement in the national\naviation industry\u2019s capability, as heavy maintenance of the Hercules\nC-130 was previously carried out by Lockheed Martin.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough we have received technical assistance from Lockheed Martin,\nit has now brought us to the point where we can stand on our own,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Sjafrie said the construction of the MRO facility at Kertajati\nAirport is still ongoing. The government is also revitalising a number\nof facilities to support MRO operations.<\/p>\n
He expressed hope that the MRO development can be completed soon so\nthat PT DI and PT GMF can use it to maintain the primary air weapon\nsystems of the Indonesian Armed Forces as well as those of other\ncountries.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndonesia must have full control and authority over all activities\ninvolving the use of Kertajati Airport, including access permits, use of\nfacilities, movement of foreign personnel, and activities carried out\nwithin the MRO area,\u201d said Hanif when contacted by ANTARA in\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
According to Hanif, Indonesia\u2019s position as host must be reflected in\nthe management of the facility so that the government can oversee all\nMRO activities in accordance with the objectives that have been set.<\/p>\n
Therefore, the Indonesian government and the United States, as the\ncountry that produces Hercules aircraft, need to have a clear agreement\non the scope of cooperation and operational boundaries from the\noutset.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must remain the primary authority that determines the rules of\nthe game and operational boundaries,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Responding to concerns that the MRO development could make Indonesia\ntoo close to the United States, Hanif asked the government to convey\ninformation openly to the public.<\/p>\n
\u201cTransparency and public communication are very important so that no\nmisunderstandings arise regarding the purpose of developing the\nfacility,\u201d he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/defence-minister-asks-pt-di-and-gmf-to-be-involved-in-kertajati-mro-development-1787129759", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }