Analyst: C-130 MRO presence will have a positive multiplier effect for Indonesia
The presence of the MRO will create a multiplier effect for the Kertajati area and its surroundings. This activity can drive growth in the services, hospitality, transportation, and trade sectors, as well as create new jobs for the local community.
Analyst and Defence Observer from the Strategic Defence Studies Institute (Keris), Hanif Rahadian, assessed that the construction of a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) centre for C-130 Hercules aircraft for the Asian region at Kertajati Airport, West Java, will provide a multiplied positive impact for Indonesia.
The series of positive impacts range from the potential for self-sufficiency in domestic primary weapon systems (alutsista), the strengthening of the domestic defence industry (inhan), to economic turnover from small to large scale.
Hanif explained that the first advantage Indonesia will receive is an improvement in the quality of Indonesian human resources (SDM) as they will be involved in Hercules maintenance. With this, Hanif said, domestic technicians will gain in-depth knowledge and skills in aircraft maintenance that can be utilised to develop the domestic aerospace industry.
The second advantage, he continued, is that the presence of the MRO opens opportunities for the domestic defence industry, both State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) and private companies, to become suppliers of Hercules support equipment needs. This condition is considered capable of reviving the existence of the domestic defence industry because the MRO requires support equipment in large quantities, considering this MRO will become the Hercules maintenance centre for Asia.
Not only economic advantages, the domestic defence industry can also use this opportunity as a forum for technology transfer to strengthen the quality of Indonesian-made defence equipment products. In addition, the presence of the MRO is also considered to be able to revive the local economy around Kertajati Airport, which is located in Majalengka.
The final advantage is that Indonesia, as an active user of C-130 Hercules aircraft, will also find it easier to carry out aircraft maintenance. “The presence of an MRO facility in one’s own country will make maintenance efforts more effective and efficient,” he explained.
However, Hanif stressed that all these advantages cannot be immediately enjoyed by Indonesia. The government must first prepare everything thoroughly, from the MRO facilities, hangars that meet standards, airports that meet standards, to quality human resources. With such preparation, Hanif is confident the MRO in Kertajati will operate optimally.
This underscores that there is no deadline yet for when the MRO construction will begin. “In principle, the government is still in the planning and concept maturation stage regarding the development of the national aerospace ecosystem in the Kertajati area, including the gradual development of MRO facilities for commercial and military needs,” said the Head of the Defence Information Bureau of the Secretariat General of the Ministry of Defence, Brigadier General TNI Rico Ricardo Sirait, when confirmed by ANTARA in Jakarta, Tuesday (26/5).
Rico said the Ministry of Defence must consider many things before starting the MRO construction process, such as the technicalities of the cooperation agreement, the technical construction of the MRO facilities, and the MRO management model to be used. All these aspects, Rico continued, must be considered to ensure the MRO’s operation aligns with national interests. In addition, the construction and operation of the MRO must also involve the role of the domestic defence industry.