Singapore Airshow 2024: Indonesia downsizes Black Hawk helicopter prog…

The Black Hawk helicopter, seen here in armed configuration. Indonesia is acquiring 22 units of the helicopter type. (Lockheed Martin)

Indonesia's Ministry of Defense (MoD) appears to have downsized a programme to equip the country's armed forces with Sikorsky S-70M Black Hawk helicopters.

A copy of the contract-related documents provided to Janes by an industry source at Singapore Airshow 2024 indicates that the Indonesian Army will now receive a total of 22 airframes instead of the 24 that was initially announced by the ministry.

The Indonesian MoD first announced in a 7 December 2023 statement on X (formerly Twitter) that state-owned aerospace company PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) signed a contract with Lockheed Martin to procure 24 S-70M Black Hawk helicopters. However, this post appears to have been deleted.

Documents provided to Janes at Singapore Airshow 2024 indicate that this contract now covers the delivery of 22 Black Hawk helicopters with a total contract value of USD585 million, including a training package for pilots and ground crew, spare parts, and associated support equipment.

This translates to a unit price of USD25,213,773 per airframe, according to the documents. All 22 airframes will be produced at Lockheed Martin's Polish subsidiary PZL Mielec but delivered to PTDI's facilities in Bandung where they will be completed.

When configured for utility operations, the Black Hawk helicopter can transport up to 12 troops. Besides transportation duties, the aircraft can be configured for suppressive fire operations and can be fitted with forward-firing guns, rockets, and laser-designated air-to-ground missiles.

In terms of carrying capacity, the Black Hawk can carry up to 4,080 kg of supplies as an internal or external load.