Prabowo prepares helicopter carrier and drones for disaster response

Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto said an aircraft carrier from Italy will soon join the Indonesian Navy’s fleet and will later be modified to support the operation of helicopters and drones.

He announced the plan whilst chairing a limited meeting on disaster management developments via video conference in Jakarta on Monday.

“Alhamdulillah, the aircraft carrier from Italy will soon join our Navy. We will refurbish it and convert it into a helicopter carrier and a carrier for drones,” President Prabowo explained, as monitored via the Presidential Secretariat’s live broadcast.

According to him, the vessel will be able to accommodate up to 10 medium-class helicopters.

President Prabowo said the helicopters that can be operated from the vessel include those with capabilities similar to the Black Hawk and Mi-17, which can each carry around 4-5 tonnes of water.

With such capacity, Prabowo believes the presence of the vessel and helicopters will strengthen the government’s response to forest fires, especially when there are large numbers of hotspots.

“So if we have 10 helicopters, they can quickly approach the areas with the most hotspots. This will also greatly help our response,” said President Prabowo.

According to Prabowo, disaster management equipment must be prepared well before a disaster strikes so that the government can respond quickly when emergencies arise.

“So we prepare for mitigation — don’t wait for the event. It must be prepared long in advance,” President Prabowo said.