Three Indonesian Air Force Casa NC-212 Aircraft Deployed to Kalimantan to Support Weather Modification Operations

The Indonesian Air Force has deployed three Casa NC-212 aircraft from Squadron 4 to support weather modification operations in Kalimantan. The aircraft departed from Abdulrachman Saleh Air Base in Malang, heading to West Kalimantan and East Kalimantan to strengthen support for tackling forest and land fires in the region on Friday (21/8).

Air Force spokesperson Air Commodore I Nyoman Suadnyana said the deployment of the three Casa NC-212 aircraft represents the Air Force’s support for weather modification operations to help address the impact of forest and land fires in Kalimantan. ‘The aircraft will reinforce the air assets already stationed in Kalimantan,’ Nyoman said in a written statement.

The three aircraft add to the fleet already deployed in Kalimantan. Currently, 20 aircraft of various types deployed by the Regional Disaster Management Agency are operating in Kalimantan, comprising five helicopters, three aircraft for weather modification, and 12 large helicopters for water bombing operations.

‘With the addition of these three Casa aircraft, the Air Force’s support is expected to be more optimal, particularly in implementing weather modification operations to help reduce the impact of smoke haze in Kalimantan,’ he said.

Previously, 42 aircraft had been deployed to six provinces identified as areas with potential for forest and land fires, namely Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan. Of that number, 20 aircraft are based in Kalimantan, while the remaining 22 are based in Sumatra.

Forest and land fires continue to threaten Kalimantan in recent days, with the impact of the fires, particularly thick smoke haze, being felt in several locations. In East Kalimantan, 413 forest and land fire hotspots have been recorded based on data from the local Regional Disaster Management Agency. The total area of burned land and forest in East Kalimantan has reached 936.95 hectares.

According to East Kalimantan disaster agency data from Wednesday (19/8), West Kutai Regency has the largest burned area, with a total of 269.34 hectares burned across 70 incident points.