Cabinet Secretary: 5 Air Force Aircraft Deployed to Tackle Kalimantan Forest Fires, Reinforcing 30 BNPB Fleet

Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya stated that five Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) aircraft have been dispatched from Abdulrachman Saleh Air Force Base in Malang to Kalimantan. The additional aircraft are intended to reinforce the 30 BNPB (National Disaster Management Agency) aircraft already operating in three provinces affected by forest and land fires in Kalimantan.

“On 21 August 2026, this Friday afternoon, five TNI AU aircraft were again dispatched from Abdulrachman Saleh Air Force Base in Malang to West Kalimantan and East Kalimantan to reinforce the 30 BNPB aircraft that have been operating in three affected provinces in Kalimantan,” Teddy said on the Cabinet Secretariat’s Instagram account on Friday (21/8/2026).

“The TNI AU has also placed several aircraft on standby at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta, ready to move according to BNPB’s needs and the situation on the ground,” he continued.

Teddy revealed that, based on a report from the Head of BNPB, a total of 52 aircraft have been deployed in operations to tackle forest and land fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra. Six provinces have been identified as having high fire potential: Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan.

“Of that number, 30 aircraft are operating in the Kalimantan region and 22 aircraft in the Sumatra region,” Teddy said.

Teddy noted that the addition of these aircraft is part of the government’s efforts to strengthen the handling of forest and land fires.

“As well as to reduce the impact of haze, and to protect public safety and environmental sustainability,” Teddy concluded.