JAKARTA. The Indonesian Air Force has said it will evaluate all of its B-type Hercules airplanes following a Hercules C-130 crash in Medan, North Sumatra, on Tuesday.
Air Force chief of staff Air Chief Marshal Agus Supriatna said the incident in Medan was a catalyst to evaluate the flight systems used by the Indonesian Military.
While admitting that the Hercules C-130 may have had some technical problems, he said the cause of the crash was still unknown.
“We are yet to conclude the exact cause of the accident,” Agus said as quoted by Antara news agency on Wednesday. The Air Force chief of staff was speaking during a visit to the crash site on Jl. Jamin Ginting, Medan, on Tuesday.
C-130 type Hercules were first flown from aircraft manufacturer Lockheed’s headquarters in Burbank, California, the US, on Aug. 23, 1954. After completing the newly produced Hercules prototype tryout, Lockheed moved the aircraft’s production activities to Marietta, Georgia, where more than 2,000 Hercules C-130 aircraft were manufactured.
Indonesia received 10 C-130 aircraft from the US government in exchange for CIA pilot Allan Pope who was arrested for helping the rebel Permesta movement in Sulawesi in 1958.
In 1975, Indonesia received three C-130 B aircraft. In the 1980s, the country received three C-130 H, seven C-130 HS (long body), and one C-130 MP (maritime patrol) under its program to strengthen the capacity of the Air Force.
Later on, Indonesia received one L-100-30 (for civilian purposes) and six L-100-30 aircraft, which were operated by private airlines Merpati and Pelita Air to serve transmigration programs.
The Air Force has also operated two KC-130 (the C-130 air-refueling version) to support its air-refueling activities. (ebf)
