Proposed US Hercules repair hub in West Java sparks debate on what Indonesia stands to gain and lose

analysis Asia Proposed US Hercules repair hub in West Java sparks debate on what Indonesia stands to gain and lose Indonesia’s Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin says his country is working on using Kertajati International Airport in West Java for such a hub proposed by his US counterpart Pete Hegseth. JAKARTA: Indonesia’s plan to turn its underutilised Kertajati International Airport in Majalengka, West Java, into a regional maintenance hub for Hercules military aircraft at the United States government’s request could bring economic benefits for the country, say analysts. But they also warn that the plan triggers questions on whether it would draw Indonesia closer to the US’ military architecture in the Indo-Pacific, which could be at odds with Jakarta's long-standing stance of free and active foreign policy and non-alignment. The plan has also sparked controversy because of the lack of details provided by the Indonesian government so far, the experts add. “When we talk about geopolitics, it's problematic because we don't know yet what the plan is,” said Yohanes Sulaiman, a defence and international relations expert from the University of Jenderal Achmad Yani in West Java. “It could be a hub, or it could be a maintenance facility. This is the big question.” WHAT IS THE PLAN? Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin announced the proposal during a meeting with lawmakers in parliament at the end of May. Sjafrie said that when he met his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, last year at the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Defence Ministers Meeting Plus, Hegseth made Indonesia a unique offer. “He offered: ‘What if I centralise maintenance for the C-130s throughout Asia in Indonesia at our expense?’ I reported to the president, who said: ‘Give Kertajati’. We're working on it,” said Sjafrie, referring to President Prabowo Subianto. No other details were revealed and it is unclear if the plan is meant for C-130 aircraft owned by the US specifically. The C-130 Hercules is a turboprop military transport aircraft used by many air forces around the world due to its versatility in tactical airlift operations. It was launched in the 1950s and American manufacturer Lockheed Martin has produced dozens of variants over the years. Defence analyst Alman Helvas Ali from Marapi Consulting and Advisory said the plan should not automatically be read as turning Kertajati into a US military base. He said that the proposal, as he understands it from people familiar with the matter, concerned maintenance capability for the newer C-130J Hercules aircraft, rather than older Hercules variants already serviced elsewhere in the region. If true, this would mean the airport would not be a military hub, as it would serve only the C-130J. In response to CNA’s queries, Indonesia’s defence ministry said it could not share more details at this stage. “The two parties discussed opportunities for collaboration in the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of Hercules/C-130 aircraft, which is still in the early and exploratory stages,” the defence ministry spokesperson Rico Sirait told CNA on Jun 5. “Currently, no final decisions have been made regarding the cooperation model, financing scheme, service coverage, operational targets, or other technical aspects.” Rico added that all of these matters required further discussion among the relevant parties, while taking into account Indonesia's national interests. According to Alman, the role of the government would most likely be as a facilitator in a business-to-business arrangement, with Lockheed Martin providing technical assistance to a local partner. He said it seemed to be a commercial plan and that was different from the US setting up a military maintenance depot of its own in Indonesia. The main problem is that the government has not explained the plan clearly enough, including who will own the facility, who will control access, whether US military personnel will be stationed there and what role Indonesian companies will play, said Alman. Without answers, the issue becomes vulnerable to what he described as public “paranoia”, referring to the controversies surrounding the plan, with some questioning what Indonesia would need to give in return if the budget is from the US. Yohanes from the University of Jenderal Achmad Yani in West Java shared similar views. “It really depends on the terms of the agreement. And actually, Hercules' repairs aren't limited to just one area,” said Yohanes. “They are not just in Indonesia but also in Japan, Canada, and Australia, for example.” WHY KERTAJATI? Indonesia already has some Hercules maintenance capability, including through the Garuda Maintenance Facility Aero Asia at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Banten, on the outskirts of Jakarta. It is operated by PT Garuda Maintenance Facility Aero Asia Tbk. Since 2021, it has maintained eight Hercules C-130 aircraft owned by Indonesia without controversies after being certified by Lockheed Martin. Alman said the US may view existing facilities, such as the one in Banten, as more developed and suitable as the site of the new hub. Indonesia on the other hand would want to give Kertajati a boost, as it has been commercially unsuccessful. Opened officially in 2019, Kertajati International Airport in West Java has long been seen as an underperforming infrastructure project. Built with ambitious plans during former president Joko Widodo’s tenure, the 1,800-ha airport, equivalent to roughly 3,360 American football fields, has struggled to attract sufficient passenger demand and secure regular commercial routes. Kertajati served about 413,000 passengers or just about 3 per cent of its 12 million target in 2024, according to government data. The location of the airport - a 2.5-hour drive from Jakarta and a 1.5-hour drive from West Java’s capital Bandung - is partly why it has underperformed, said observers. For a military aircraft maintenance hub, however, some of Kertajati’s weaknesses as a passenger airport could become strengths, said Yohanes. Kertajati has the space required for such a facility, he said, though hangars and supporting infrastructure would still need to be built. Still, he added, the main issue is not whether Kertajati can physically host the facility, but what the agreement behind it would contain. If it is only a repair-and-maintenance site, the implications are limited. But if it includes broader access, security privileges, or operational functions for the US military, the proposal would become far more sensitive, Yohanes said. WHO WOULD GAIN WHAT? There are potential benefits from the arrangement for both the US and Indonesia, said experts. If Indonesia becomes a regional MRO hub for C-130J aircraft, it could attract maintenance work from across the Asia-Pacific, especially as more countries operate or acquire the newer Hercules variant, said Alman. “That could generate long-term business, create skilled jobs and help Indonesian aviation and defence firms meet international standards,” he added. Alman said that Indonesia would have “nothing to lose” if the investment was not borne by the Indonesian state budget and if local industry gains capability from the arrangement. He said the hub could help Indonesia reduce dependence on facilities in neighbouring countries and capture at least part of the regional maintenance market. The facility could also revitalise Kertajati, given its struggle as a passenger airport. For local communities, new activity could bring jobs, transport demand and boost food, hospitality and other supporting services. Similarly, Azifah Astrina, a political science lecturer at Gadjah Mada University, said the hub could open opportunities for the transfer of technical knowledge, particularly technology, improve human resources and create a supporting industrial ecosystem in the aviation and defence sectors. “Indonesia could strengthen its position as a regional maintenance and logistics hub for the Hercules fleet in Southeast Asia,” she said. For Washington, the logic is even clearer, said observers. A maintenance hub in Indonesia would improve the sustainment network for its Hercules aircraft operating in the region, said Alman. “It could reduce turnaround time, improve logistical flexibility and provide a geographically useful node between existing facilities in places such as Japan, Australia and other regional partners,” he said. In a crisis, maintenance and logistics matter as much as bases, he added, stressing that a facility that keeps aircraft operational can be strategically valuable even if it does not host combat units. INDONESIA’S FOREIGN POLICY DILEMMA But the plan also drew criticism from some experts as it could be perceived as taking sides in the ongoing US-China rivalry. Chappy Hakim, founder and chairman of the Indonesia Center for Air Power Studies, who was also the chief of staff of the Indonesian air force from 2002 to 2005, said that by accepting facilities that clearly support US military power in the region, Indonesia risks being perceived as leaning towards America. He added that Indonesia must be careful to ensure that a maintenance hub does not gradually become a disguised foreign military facility, as this would risk challenging its long-standing refusal to host foreign military bases. The worry is not necessarily that Indonesia would immediately become a US ally in a formal sense, said experts. Rather, they warned that modern military access could be built through logistics, maintenance, interoperability, and technical arrangements without ever being called a “base”. “Indonesia must be very careful in maintaining operational sovereignty, ownership of facilities and control over foreign personnel who will work at these facilities,” said Chappy. Azifah from Gadjah Mada University said concerns over the plan were reasonable because defence cooperation with a major power is rarely seen as purely technical in today’s Indo-Pacific climate. Even if it is formally a maintenance arrangement, it could still strengthen the US military ecosystem in Southeast Asia, and if handled poorly, it could deepen public suspicion, complicate Indonesia’s relations with China, and raise questions about whether Jakarta is drifting from its principles, she said. Azifah also linked the Kertajati proposal to another plan to grant the US military overflight access. In her view, the two issues may be connected, or at least part of a broader conversation on military access and defence cooperation. Indonesia and the US are currently discussing a proposal to give US military aircraft access over Indonesian airspace for emergency operations, crisis response missions and jointly agreed-upon military exercises. Rico, the defence ministry spokesperson, told CNA no final decision has been made regarding the overflight access. “What exists is a non-binding Letter of Intent that requires further discussion,” he said. Regardless, analysts said that in the future, controversies could be prevented if the government explains a plan in detail. Should the proposal be approved, Kertajati's success as a repair, maintenance and operational hub will still depend on several important factors. “Consistent investment, the quality of local human resources, integration with the national defence industry, and the Indonesian government's ability to ensure that the cooperation results in long-term capacity transfer, not just operational facilities dependent on external parties, are crucial,” said Azifah.