Air force to speed up Super Puma chopper procurement

"True, we will speed it up. We have ordered 16 (Super Puma helicopters), however, only seven of them have been delivered, including two for VIP," he said after attending a ceremony marking the transfer of post of Indonesian military (TNI) chief from Marshal Djoko Suyanto to General Djoko Santoso at the TNI Headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta.
Subandrio`s statement came a day after a TNI AU Twin Pac helicopter crashed in Lubuk Agung village, Gandar sub district, Pelalawan, Riau province.
The helicopter went down two kilometers from the eastern trans Sumatra highway linking Pekanbaru to Pangkalan Kerinci, eyewitnesses said.
One person was killed in the crash while nine other passengers were either seriously or slightly injured. The dead was identified as Robert Candran, a Singaporean national of Indian descent.
Subandrio said because of budget constraints to build a squadron of 16 Super Puma helicopters, the TNI AU would only buy 12 units.