Airbus
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury earnt $3.7 million in personal income from Airbus in 2020
A: Airbus Headquarters are in Toulouse 1, Rond Point Maurice Bellonte 31707 Blagnac Cedex France
T: +33 5 61 93 33 33
Airbus also has major offices in Hamburg and Madrid.
Airbus Helicopters was formerly known as Eurocopter. They manufacture and market systems for ‘aerial, land, naval and civilian security applications’, primarily aircraft. The company has ballooned in the past ten years, taking over smaller weapons manufacturers, joining the European missile consortium MBDA and incorporating the former European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company NV (EADS). Airbus collaborates closely with French speaking companies Thales and FN Herstal, and of course MBDA, to fit their planes and helicopters with bombs, missiles and machine guns.
Airbus was number 12 on the Top 100 of war profiteers in 2020, with defence revenue of USD $12 billion.
Airbus products are attractive to Indonesian defence procurers because of a long standing deal that positions the Indonesian government owned company PT Dirgantara as a 'production partner', meaning that contract profits flow to both companies. Airbus' website boasts of PT Dirgantara's "long-standing partnership with Airbus Helicopters for close to 40 years. It is the prime contractor for the Indonesian government in providing end-to-end services from helicopter sales, customization and completion to delivery and after-sales support on the full range of Airbus Helicopters rotorcraft. PT Dirgantara Indonesia is also part of Airbus Helicopters’ supply chain, manufacturing the EC225 and EC725 tail booms and airframe assemblies for the worldwide market."
Airbus has exported numerous shipments of attack helicopters and troop transporters to Indonesia, many of which have been identified in West Papua.
Weapons
H225M Multirole Heavy Lift Troop Transporting Helicopter
Indonesia has bought a total of 28 of H225M Multirole Helicopters from Airbus at a cost of $30 million per piece. The most recent order was in 2019. This is a ‘long range, tactical, heavy lift’ helicopter that can carry 28 passengers and crew. These helicopters carry troops from major military bases into areas where West Papuan resistance is active, for instance into the highlands or, pictured here, to the island of Biak. The H225M is used by TNI AD and TNI AL special forces.
A helicopter that appears visually similar was photographed being used as part of an evacuation of civilians following conflict between militia groups and the Indonesian military in Kiwirok in September 2021.
Fennec
The Fennec helicopter is used for combat, combat support, tracking, escort and training duties around the world, including Indonesia.
TNI AD procured 12 armed versions of the Fennec, fitted with coaxial weapons, rockets, torpedoes and various other munitions, in 2014. The Fennec are lightweight, multi purpose military attack helicopters. These have been used during 2020 and 2021 attacks against ‘targets’ aka villages in the highland regions of West Papua.
According to Airbus, "This series of adaptable single- and twin-engine helicopters combines powerful light attack capabilities with highly cost-effective airframe and mission system solutions."
“Indonesia’s acquisition of the Fennec demonstrates this helicopter family’s suitability for operations in a full range of conditions, providing a highly manouverable and agile platform with low detectability,” said Philippe Monteux, Head of Region South East Asia & Pacific at Airbus Helicopters.
The Fennec attack helicopters used in West Papua are fitted with munitions and guns manufactured in Belgium, by French company Thales and the Belgian company FN Herstal. TNI AD Fennecs carry an FN Herstal HMP400 pod, mounted to store a 12.7x99mm FN M3P heavy machine gun with a capacity of 250 rounds. Fan site indomiliter.com enthuses that “with a firing speed of up to 1,100 rounds per minute, the HMP400 can be relied on to crush targets such as light vehicles, guard posts, and of course infantry.”
Heavier munitions in the form of FZ-219 rockets are supplied by the Belgian division of Thales, Forges de Zebrugge, Belgium. IndoMiliter explains that "many countries use FZ products because they do not depend on the components of United States (US) products, so they are safe from the threat of embargoes." The FZ-219 rocket system is paired with another Thales product, the T100 prismatic aiming system.
Panther Helicopter
The Indonesian Navy purchased 11 Airbus 'Panther' helicopters in 2014. As with other Airbus acquisitions, a key part of the deal was that Indonesian-owned company PT Dirgantara would assemble and manufacture some components, such that both Airbus and the Indonesian government profit from the transaction. The Panther helicopters come at a cost of USD $150 million apiece and are fitted with US company Lockheed Martin MK46 torpedos.
C295 tactical transport aircraft
Airbus describes the C295 as a versatile "tactical airlifter" capable of running missions in extreme conditions, and is available in a range of variations.
According to the EUarms database, the C295 (and its predecessor the CN235) have been identified at the Biak airbase in Papua during the bases inauguration ceremony. The C295 is used by both the Indonesian military and police force. These aircraft were originally manufactured by Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA, a Spanish company that was incorporated by Airbus. They continue to be produced in a factory in Sevilla, Spain.
A400M
The A400M transporter aircraft is a tactical airlifter capable of carrying heavy loads and landing on rough airstrips.
In 2018, the Indonesian government announced plans to purchase 2 A400M transporters, to be used by the state-owned PT Perusahaan Perdagangan, to be used for the "distribution of goods in eastern Indonesia", making it likely they will be used in Papua. The planes will be flown by crews from the Indonesian air force.