Missions begin over Makroman
The Australian deployment includes a NSW Rural Fire Service C-130 Large Air Tanker, a Cessna Citation directing aircraft and 20 aerial firefighting specialists. In a November 7 statement, Air Commodore Feri Yunaldi, head of the Indonesian Air Force Public Information Service, said Dhomber would serve as a standby base for the aircraft and personnel before missions to fire-affected areas.
East Kalimantan Deputy Governor Seno Aji oversaw the first sortie on November 6, targeting hotspots in Makroman, Samarinda. He thanked the Australian government and Dhomber's commander for preparing the operational base.
According to Tempo.co, the C-130 Hercules made three water-bombing runs that day over Makroman in Samarinda's Sambutan District. The fleet's target for the week-long deployment is up to six sorties a day from Dhomber.
The operations are scheduled for November 6-12, with Makroman, Anggana, Santan Ulu in Kutai Kartanegara, and Paser Regency among the locations identified for attention. Tempo.co reported that the mission aims to contain fire damage across an estimated 40 to 50 hectares, with four priority sectors: Samarinda City, Kutai Kartanegara Regency, Paser Regency and East Kutai Regency.
Aircraft capacity and deployment decisions
Yunaldi said the C-130 can release up to 15,000 liters of water per sortie and deliver more than 100,000 liters a day. Earlier reporting cited a daily capacity of 90,000 to 100,000 liters. He said the aircraft's capacity was expected to help crews reach more affected areas and respond faster.
The assistance followed a technical assessment led by Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency, or BNPB, Yunaldi said. ANTARA News reported that BNPB ranked East Kalimantan behind only Central Kalimantan in its need for additional firefighting support. Indonesian and Australian technical teams reviewed priority areas before agreeing on the East Kalimantan deployment.
Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Roderick Bruce Brazier told ANTARA News that the deployment followed talks about possible fire-response assistance between Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Dudung Abdurachman and Australian Minister of Home Affairs Tony Burke.
The two aircraft were formally handed over at Jakarta's Halim Perdanakusuma Airport on November 5 by BNPB head Lt. Gen. Kristomei Sianturi and Brazier, Tempo.co reported. Brazier pointed to Indonesia's help during Australia's 2020 bushfires and after Cyclone Tracy struck Darwin in 1974 as earlier examples of cooperation.
Fires across several islands
The deployment comes amid Indonesia's most intense wildfires in 11 years, according to a Ground News summary of Reuters reporting dated November 2. Fires were burning across Sumatra, Borneo and Papua, while Health Ministry figures showed more than 400,000 cases of acute respiratory infections in seven provinces.
Days before the Australian deployment, a helicopter crashed on a firefighting mission in Central Kalimantan on Borneo. The November 4 crash killed one crew member and injured several others.
