Australian Aircraft Join Operations to Tackle Kalimantan Forest Fires
- Australian Aviation Aid: Australia has deployed specialized water-bombing aircraft and 20 tactical specialists to extinguish forest fires across 50 hectares in East Kalimantan.
- Targeted Sorties: A Large Air Tanker Hercules C-130 began aerial operations over Samarinda, backed by a Cessna Citation lead plane operating out of Balikpapan.
- Diplomatic Support: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is scheduled to visit the province on Nov. 11 as part of an official diplomatic and operational oversight visit.
SAMARINDA, INDONESIAN POST — A fleet of water-bombing aircraft provided by the Australian government has officially launched operations to extinguish forest and land fires across East Kalimantan province.
Speaking in Samarinda on Saturday, East Kalimantan Deputy Gov. Seno Aji said the deployment of the aerial tankers—each capable of dropping 15,000 liters of water per sortie—came as a swift response by Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) to a direct request from the provincial government.
“We requested support to tackle forest and land fires in East Kalimantan. Thankfully, the BNPB responded quickly by deploying aircraft from Australia to conduct water-bombing operations in the region,” Seno said.
Seno added that provincial authorities will monitor the ongoing aerial operations, while the Australian prime minister is expected to visit East Kalimantan in person on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
The intensive aerial campaign is scheduled to run through Nov. 12 to extinguish fires that have affected between 40 and 50 hectares of land.
Emergency operations are focusing on four priority areas: the provincial capital of Samarinda, alongside Kutai Kartanegara, Paser, and East Kutai regencies.
Buyung Dodi, executive head of the East Kalimantan Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), said a C-130 Hercules Large Air Tanker owned by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) conducted three water-bombing sorties on its first day of operations Friday, Nov. 6. The initial drops targeted the critical Makroman area in the Sambutan district of Samarinda.
“With this capacity, fires in remote areas that are difficult for ground crews to reach can now be tackled more quickly and effectively,” Buyung said.
During the one-week deployment, the heavy aircraft is slated to fly up to six sorties daily, operating out of Dhomber Air Force Base in Balikpapan.
In addition to the C-130 Hercules air tanker, Australia dispatched a Cessna Citation to serve as a lead aircraft, supported by a crew of 20 tactical aviation specialists from the NSW RFS.
On the ground, local BPBD units across all cities and regencies, together with personnel from the East Kalimantan Forest and Land Fire Task Force, remain on high alert to cross-reference real-time satellite imagery with the flight paths of the Australian aircraft.
An official handover ceremony for the two aircraft took place Thursday, Nov. 5, at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta, attended by BNPB Chief Lt. Gen. Kristomei Sianturi and Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Roderick Bruce Brazier.
Brazier noted that the humanitarian deployment reflects the deep strategic partnership between the two nations, pointing to a long history of mutual aid during major natural disasters, including Cyclone Tracy in Darwin in 1974 and the Australian bushfires in 2020. (Antara/Bilah)
