Five Additional Air Force Aircraft for Weather Modification Operations Deployed to Tackle Forest Fires in Kalimantan
The Government continues to reinforce operations to handle forest and land fires in several regions with high fire risk. As of Friday (8/21), a total of 52 aircraft have been deployed to support operations across six provinces in Sumatra and Kalimantan islands.
Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya stated in a written statement that on Friday afternoon, five Indonesian Air Force aircraft were dispatched from Abdulrachman Saleh Air Force Base in Malang to West Kalimantan and East Kalimantan provinces.
“Five Air Force aircraft were dispatched from Abdulrachman Saleh Air Force Base in Malang to West Kalimantan and East Kalimantan to reinforce 30 aircraft which belong to the National Agency for Disaster Mitigation (BNPB) operating in three affected provinces in Kalimantan,” the Cabinet Secretary wrote.
In addition to these five aircraft, the Air Force has also placed a number of aircraft on standby at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, Jakarta. This fleet is ready to deploy at any time based on the needs of the BNPB and situations on the ground.
According to a report by BNPB Head Suharyanto, 52 aircraft have been deployed for forest fire response operations in six provinces with high fire risk, such as Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan. “Of that total, 30 aircraft are operating in Kalimantan region and 22 in Sumatra region,” the Cabinet Secretary added.
The fleet stationed in Kalimantan comprises various types of aircraft and helicopters supporting patrol activities, weather modification operations (OMC), and aerial firefighting via water bombing.
These aerial operations have been proceeding intensively. On Thursday and Friday, August 20–21, 2026, the BNPB fleet, alongside the TNI, conducted water bombing operations to reach and extinguish fire hotspots from the air in the affected areas.
The addition of this aerial fleet is part of the Government’s efforts to reinforce the handling of forest and land fires while improving response to fire hotspots that threaten to spread.
The Government also continues to mitigate the impact of smog caused by forest and land fires, while also protecting public safety and preserving the environment in affected areas. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (JAS/MMB)
