Government Plans to Turn Kertajati Airport into Asia's Centre for U.S. Hercules Aircraft Maintenance

Majalengka, West Java – The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is planning to prepare Kertajati Airport in Majalengka Regency, West Java, as a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centre for C-130/Hercules aircraft in the Asia region. The plan by the Ministry of Defence followed a meeting earlier between Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

The meeting, held at the Pentagon in the United States, saw Hegseth express the intention to establish a centre for maintenance of Hercules aircraft engines. ‘There are currently plans to prepare the Kertajati area as one of the MRO centres for C-130/Hercules aircraft. The choice of Kertajati takes into account the availability of ample land and flight-support facilities that are already adequate,’ said Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait, Head of the Defence Information Bureau under the Secretariat General of the Ministry of Defence, in Jakarta on Wednesday, 21 May 2026.

Sirait assessed that the move is highly strategic because it would deliver positive impacts for strengthening Indonesia’s defence. One such impact is that Indonesia would become easier in building cooperation and diplomatic relations with Asian countries that use Hercules transport aircraft.

‘This step is also in line with the effort to strengthen the resilience of the defence industry and support national strategic air logistics,’ he added.

However, Sirait did not provide details on the progress of the MRO development. He also did not specify a timeline for its construction.