Airbus will provide four units of the latest Airbus H145 helicopter variant to PT Dirgantara Indonesia. Also known as PDTI, the state-owned aerospace company is under contract with the Indonesian Air Force to deliver the aircraft customized for military pilot training and search and rescue missions.
PTDI will install mission equipment and perform other aircraft customization work at its Bandung facility, supporting IDAF’s modernization program.
The H145 helicopter has a wireless airborne communication server that can connect with a ground station to enable data collection, exchange and analysis. It also features a bearingless and hingeless five-bladed rotor, a payload capacity of 150 kilograms and the ability to land in confined areas, making it ideal for emergency medical services, law enforcement duties and other public service missions, Airbus said.
According to the company’s website, the H145 is the only rotorcraft of its range to take off and land at 20,000 feet, a distinction confirmed in September 2019 with a flight over Aconcagua in the Andes Mountain range.
Commenting on the aircraft delivery deal announced during the Bali International Airshow, Gita Amperiawan, president director of PTDI, said the partnership with Airbus and IDAF will “create new opportunities for the development of the national aerospace industry.”