Indonesian Presidential Aircraft

RI-001 "Indonesia One"
Boeing 737-800 Business Jet in Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Netherlands.

The Indonesian Presidential Aircraft (Indonesian: Pesawat Kepresidenan Indonesia), also known as Indonesia One or RI-001 is the presidential aircraft carrying the president and vice president of Indonesia. The aircraft was designed to meet the specific safety and security standards to support the VVIP air transportation needs of the Indonesian president,[1] and includes a modest counter-sabotage self-defense system.[2]

The construction and modification of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft started in 2011.[1] It is based on the Boeing Business Jet 2 variant. The aircraft was completed in 2014 and arrived at Halim Perdanakusuma Airbase in Jakarta on 10 April 2014.[3] The call sign of this aircraft is "Indonesia One" with serial number "RI-001".[4] The aircraft belongs to the State Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia, and is operated by the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU),[5] and maintained by Garuda Maintenance Facility.[6][7]

History

TNI-AU Boeing 737-2X9 was occasionally used by the Indonesian president prior to the purchase of "Indonesia One".

In the 1960s, Indonesia's first presidential aircraft was an Ilyushin Il-18, acquired from the Soviet government, and was used by Indonesia's first President, Sukarno.[8][9] This aircraft was named "Dolok Martimbang", and was allocated to 17 Squadron of the Indonesian Air Force. This aircraft however was not modified specifically as a presidential aircraft.

The president of Indonesia and the vice president formerly used aircraft chartered from Garuda Indonesia for air travel.[2] Boeing 737-800s were used for domestic flights and short-range international flights; and Airbus A330-300s were used for most overseas trips and state visits. The Indonesian Air Force also has special VIP squadrons for the president, vice president and government ministers. These are the 17 Squadron (Indonesian: Skadron Udara 17) operating Avro RJ85, Boeing 737-200, Boeing 737-400, Fokker F27-400, Fokker F28-1000 and Lockheed C-130 Hercules fixed-wing aircraft; and 45 Squadron (Indonesian: Skadron Udara 45) flying Aérospatiale AS 332L-1 Super Puma helicopters. All those aircraft and helicopters are based at Halim Perdanakusuma Airforce Base, Jakarta. Almost all presidential flights depart from there. Garuda Indonesia and Indonesian Air Force aircraft were used by Indonesian presidents,during the presidencies of Sukarno, Suharto, B.J. Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid, Megawati Soekarnoputri and during most of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration.

The plan to acquire a presidential aircraft has been contemplated since the Abdurrahman Wahid administration (1999 – 2001).[10] On 3 November 2009, the legislature approved the budget of IDR 200 billion as a down payment for VVIP Boeing 737-500 aircraft.[10][11] Indonesian State Secretariat included the cost of buying a new airplane into the 2010-2011 state budget.

Garuda Indonesia Airbus A330-341 on a state visit at London Heathrow Airport. Note the national emblem near the cockpit window assigned only on Garuda Indonesia aircraft carrying the President.

In January 2010, the Indonesian Government announced a USD 200 million budget to acquire a new aircraft for presidential and government use. The government insisted the cost of operating its own aircraft would be lower than chartering a Garuda aircraft every time the President had to travel.[2][12][13] On 27 December 2010, Indonesian Government with Boeing signed a purchase agreement for a 737-800 Boeing Business Jet 2 aircraft.[14]

On 20 January 2012, Indonesian Government received a "green " (plain "hollow" aircraft prior to any specific modifications) BBJ2 variant of the 737-800 from the Boeing company, to be further modified and equipped with interior and security features.[15] The price of plain aircraft prior to modification is USD 58 million.[16] After several delays the BBJ2 was delivered on 10 April 2014 and received by the Indonesia Ministry of State Secretary Sudi Silalahi.[17]

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was the first president that fly in "Indonesia One" on state duties, on 5 May 2014 when he flew from Jakarta to Denpasar, Bali, in order to attend the regional conference of Open Government Partnership (OGP) Asia-Pacific.[18]

President Joko Widodo's first trip in "Indonesia One" was shortly after his inauguration on 29 October 2014.[19] President Joko Widodo flew to Medan, North Sumatra, and went to Karo Regency to address the natural disaster relief efforts and to visit the refugees of the 2014 Mount Sinabung eruption. On this occasion, the president was accompanied by first lady Iriana, Ministry of Social affairs Khofifah Indar Parawansa, and his daughter Kahiyang Ayu.

Specification and description

The aircraft was purchased for US$ 91.2 million or around Rp 820 billion, comprising US$58.6 million for the aircraft, US$27 million for the cabin interior, US$4.5 million for the security system, and US$1.1 million for administration.[20] The aircraft can carry up to 67 passengers, can fly up to 10 hours non-stop,[2] and is able to land on short airstrips.

The interior of the airplane consists of several rooms. It has four VVIP meeting rooms, a master VVIP en suite bedroom, two VVIP state rooms, 12 executive seats and 44 staff seats.[2][21]

The aircraft has two CFM56-7 engines, a service ceiling of 41,000 feet, a cruising speed of 0.785 Mach and a maximum speed of 0.85 Mach. It can also reach a maximum cruising range of 4,620 nautical miles or 8,556 kilometers.[2] It is 38 meters long, 35.79 meter wingspan, 12.5 meters tall and has a ceiling of 41,000 feet, a range up to 10,000 km and fuel capacity of 35,539 liters contained in 6 tanks.[21]

Defense system

The security features include an embedded anti missile system. The aircraft has a heat detector and also radar to detect foreign objects, missiles or other airplanes, near, around or approaching the aircraft, plus the ability to avoid the attack.[22] The US$4.5-million anti-missile defense system deploys chaff, a cloud of thin metal sheets and plastic pieces, and flares — as a countermeasure to deter guided missile strikes.[2] Despite its VVIP security features, the aircraft is not fitted with weapons and was not designed for combat. Four Air Force pilots were trained by Boeing to operate the defense system on board.[2]

Livery

The Indonesian presidential aircraft is painted sky blue on top and white on the bottom. The two color fields is separated by a red and white strip, the Indonesian national colors, creating a long curved red and white ribbon along the fuselage. On top and along the windows there are the Indonesian National Emblem Garuda Pancasila followed by the text Republik Indonesia in black, on each sides. On the front directly below the cockpit windows there is the Indonesian presidential emblems of a gold star on each side. On vertical stabilizer there is a print of Indonesian flag on each sides.

After the aircraft was unveiled, its livery and color scheme attracted criticism. Some deemed it "unattractive", while others noted the similarity of sky blue color scheme to the United States Air Force One, and others suspected a political connotation.[23] Minister of State Secretary Sudi Silalahi, responded that the sky blue color was chosen for safety and security reasons, as a sky-colored camouflage. The color is also widely used as the uniform of the Indonesian Air Force personnel who operate the aircraft. It was also chosen as a unique identity, since there are no Indonesian commercial aircraft using this color in their livery.[24]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Ini Detail Pesawat Kepresidenan Indonesia". kompas.com. 10 April 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 tjs (14 April 2014). "RI ‘Air Force One’ will not be armed". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  3. ↑ "Selamat Datang Pesawat Kepresidenan Pertama Indonesia". setneg.go.id. Kementerian Sekretariat Negara Republik Indonesia. 10 April 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "SBY Terbang Perdana Bersama Pesawat Kepresidenan". beritasatu.com. 5 May 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  5. ↑ Abdul Qodir; Johnson Simanjuntak (12 April 2014). "TNI AU Merasa Terhormat jadi Operasional Pesawat Kepresidenan". tribunnews.com. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  6. ↑ Rachmadin Ismail (11 April 2014). "Ini Cara GMF Merawat Pesawat Kepresidenan RI agar Selalu Siap Terbang". detikcom. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  7. ↑ "GMF AeroAsia Rawat Pesawat Kepresidenan RI". apg.or.id. Asosiasi Pilot Garuda. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  8. ↑ Laurencius Simanjuntak (14 May 2012). "Ketegasan Soekarno dan pesawat Rusia". merdeka.com. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  9. ↑ Triatmono, Hero (2010). Kisah Istimewa Bung Karno. Jakarta: Kompas Media Nusantara. ISBN 978-979-709-503-1.
  10. 1 2 Nograhany Widhi K (27 January 2010). "Istana: Tentu Ada Pertimbangan Mendalam Beli Pesawat Kepresidenan". detikcom. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  11. ↑ Anwar Khumaini (27 January 2010). "Sudi: Pengadaan Pesawat Kepresidenan Atas Dorongan DPR". detikcom. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  12. ↑ "VIVAnews – Sudi: DPR yang Usul Presiden Beli Pesawat". Nasional.vivanews.com. Archived from the original on 23 August 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
  13. ↑ "Berapa Harga Pesawat Kepresidenan RI, Boeing Business Jet II?". 5 July 2013.
  14. ↑ Esthi Maharani (9 February 2012). "Indonesia Miliki Pesawat Kepresidenan Pada 2013". republika.co.id. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  15. ↑ Mega Putra Ratya (25 January 2012). "Pesawat Kepresidenan RI Mulai Dirakit, Siap Terbang Tahun 2013". detikcom. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  16. ↑ Gunawan Mashar (9 February 2012). "USD 4,5 juta untuk Sistem Keamanan Pesawat Kepresidenan RI". detikcom. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  17. ↑ "Pesawat Kepresidenan Indonesia Tiba di Bandara Halim Perdanakusuma". 10 April 2014.
  18. ↑ Sabrina Asril; Laksono Hari Wiwoho (5 May 2014). "Presiden SBY Terbang Perdana dengan Pesawat Kepresidenan". kompas.com. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  19. ↑ Moksa Hutasoit (29 October 2014). "Jokowi Terbang Perdana dengan Pesawat Kepresidenan ke Sinabung". detiknews.com. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  20. ↑ Anggi Kusumadewi (10 April 2014). "Sehebat Apa Pesawat Kepresidenan RI yang Tiba Hari Ini". news.viva.co.id. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  21. 1 2 det (10 April 2014). "Perbandingan Antara Pesawat 'Garuda' RI-1 Dengan 'Air Force One' AS". Harian Andalas (in Indonesian). Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  22. ↑ Wahyu Aji (10 April 2014). "Pesawat Boing Milik Presiden RI Bisa Hindari Rudal". Tribun News (in Indonesian). Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  23. ↑ Yudhoyono's party is the Partai Demokrat which uses blue in its logo.
  24. ↑ Reska K. Nistanto (19 April 2014). "Dibanding RI, seperti Apa Pesawat Kepresidenan Negara Lain?". Kompas (in Indonesian). Retrieved 16 January 2015.
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