Indonesia has received its second and final Airbus A400M military transport aircraft, completing a two-aircraft order placed in 2021 by what was then Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto on the sidelines of the Dubai Airshow.
The aircraft, registered A-4002, landed at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in Jakarta on March 28, 2026. Indonesia’s Defense Ministry had confirmed on March 25 that the delivery was imminent, with Defense Information Bureau chief Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait stating the aircraft was en route from Seville, Spain.
A detour across two oceans
The delivery route for A-4002 differed markedly from that of the first aircraft. A-4001, delivered on November 3, 2025, flew the standard path from Seville via Dubai and Medan. For the second aircraft, that route was unavailable. Escalating conflict in the Middle East, including widespread airspace closures across the Gulf region, forced Airbus to plan an alternative path.
A-4002 departed Seville on March 22, 2026, and flew west across the Atlantic, stopping in St. John’s, Canada, before continuing across the Pacific with further stops in Japan, Merauke in Papua, and Tarakan, before reaching Jakarta.
🇮🇩🇨🇦 Indonesian Air Force @_TNIAU second A400M (A-4002) during a transit stop in Whitehorse Airport, Canada, earlier this week. It’s extremely rare to see our military aircraft in winter conditions, so big shout-out to Murray Lundberg from The ExploreNorth Blog for documenting it… https://t.co/b3oZB8vIso pic.twitter.com/pj0QPUJJl5
— JATOSINT (@Jatosint) March 29, 2026
Tanker capability
The second aircraft adds a capability the first does not have in the same configuration: hose-and-drogue aerial refueling pods, formally expanding the Indonesian Air Force’s A400M fleet into a tanker role. Both aircraft are assigned to Squadron 31 at Halim Perdanakusuma, the air force’s strategic airlift unit.
The A400M’s ability to operate from short and unpaved runways is a key asset for Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, many of which are difficult to reach by conventional transport. The aircraft can carry up to 37 tonnes and fly 2,400 nautical miles with a 30-tonne payload, covering the full extent of the archipelago from Jakarta.
Indonesia has also evaluated the integration of Airbus’s modular firefighting kit on both aircraft, which would allow rapid conversion into a water bomber capable of releasing up to 20,000 liters of retardant or water in a single pass, a capability of particular relevance given recurring wildfires across the country’s forested terrain.
Potential expansion
The completion of the two-aircraft order does not necessarily close the chapter on Indonesia’s A400M fleet. At the same Dubai Airshow event where the original contract was signed, Indonesia also signed a letter of intent for four additional aircraft. Following the first delivery, President Prabowo Subianto indicated that negotiations for those additional units may begin in the near term. No formal order has been announced.
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