On May 18, 1958, american pilot Allen Lawerence Pope was shot down over Ambon while flying a covert CIA mission in a B-26 Invader. Sentenced to death by an indonesian court, he was pardoned in 1962, but not before Indonesia used Mr. Pope as a bargain in a pending arms deal. It is widely believed that the US "bought" Pope's freedom by delivering ten (!) new C-130B's to the AURI as from 1960. A-1303 (mfd Nov 1960) was among that batch and remains the oldest C-130 in service with the indonesian AF, still flying at the time of upload. C-130B's are not able to carry external wing fuel tanks.

Ex 152888. Later upgraded to P-3K2, and withdrawn from use on 24 September 2021.

Ex LY-AOV. Registration cancelled on 8 October 2014 as destroyed following a fatal crash on 29 March 2014 at Cooksmill Green, Essex.

Converted to a UH-1H. Retired in 2015 and sold to an American spare parts dealer. Photo from: RNZAF/Air Force Museum of New Zealand

Photo from the National Naval Aviation Museum.

To the RNZAF museum in 1978. Photo from: Des White/Air Force Museum of New Zealand

Held in storage by the RNZAF museum. Photo from: RNZAF/Air Force Museum of New Zealand

Indonesia's IPTN-Nurtanio aircraft facility in Bandung is mainly known for co-producing fixed-wing aircraft with Spain's CASA, such as the C212 Aviocar, the CN235 and the C295. However, it also built under licence different MBB, Bell and Aérospatiale helicopters for the local civilian and military market. Some 26 Super Pumas, of which at least 12 went to the Indonesian AF, were built locally since the mid 1980's. The one pictured here is assigned to VIP Sqn 45 based at Halim, and has since been repainted in an attractive white/red paint scheme (representing the national colors of Indonesia).