Prabowo Plans Heavy-Lift Drones and an Aircraft Carrier to Fight Wildfires

Indonesia is preparing a broader arsenal against forest and land fires, including heavy-lift drones capable of carrying large water loads and an aircraft carrier designed to support disaster operations.

President Prabowo Subianto announced the plans during a virtual cabinet meeting on natural-disaster response monitored in Jakarta. He acknowledged the scale of this year’s government response to the fires, while also pointing to delays in some operations. His instruction was to plan ahead and maintain excess capacity rather than risk shortages.

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Going forward, we will take anticipatory steps. I ask that we prioritize planning and apply the principle that it is better to have more than to have too little.

Prabowo directed State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi to coordinate with Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa and National Development Planning Minister Rachmat Pambudy on the rapid acquisition of additional mitigation assets. The list includes water-bombing helicopters, as well as more localized equipment such as water pumps and excavators.

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Furthermore, we must allocate more aircraft for weather modification.

That smaller equipment, he said, should remain permanently in villages vulnerable to fires so crews can tackle outbreaks at an early stage. He also said Indonesia would soon operate its first aircraft carrier for post-disaster management. The vessel is designed to carry up to 10 medium-sized helicopters, each able to transport four to five tons of water for aerial firefighting.

Prabowo further assigned the National Research and Innovation Agency to identify the most effective chemical agents for cloud seeding. He also called for more aircraft for weather modification and ordered the acquisition of heavy-lift drones for precision water bombing at the front lines of forest fires.

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We must prepare well in advance.