Indonesia collects seven Nomad planes

Indonesia collects seven Nomad planes

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara (JP): Seven of the 20 Nomad planes
ordered by the Indonesian Navy from Australia arrived at El Tari
airport here yesterday.

The planes were handed over in the northern Australian town of
Darwin to an Indonesian delegation led by Navy chief Vice Admiral
Arief Kushariadi.

Arief then led the 3.5 hour flight from Darwin to Kupang.

"The planes are in an excellent condition but we need to
change the colors," he told journalists shortly after descending
the aging plane.

Indonesia bought 14 N-22s and six N-24s for maritime
surveillance. The Navy has operated 18 Nomads before, 16 are
still in operation.

Another seven Nomads will be delivered in April and the
remaining six in June, Arief said.

The planes will be serviced and repainted in Surabaya before
they formally join the Navy fleet. Two of the N-24s will be used
as VIP transport planes, he said.

"The number of aircraft patrolling the vast Indonesian
territories is just too small now," he said. "We definitely need
more planes."

The Indonesian government has refused to disclose the cost of
the used planes.

Quoting a defense source, AFP reported that Indonesia paid
less than 10 million Australian dollars (US$8 million) for the
fleet adding it was "a very good, cheap buy".

Canberra has a standing agreement to help maintain the
existing fleet of Nomads, with three Australian engineers already
based in the East Java town of Surabaya, the defense source said.

Made in Australia in the 1970s, the twin-engine turboprop
Nomads were used by the Australian military as heavy transport
and support aircraft, but were retired from the Australian
Defense Force in 1995 after becoming unsuitable for continued
military use. (yac/pan)