Indonesia, Lockheed Martin sign deal for 24 Black Hawk helicopters

Indonesia has signed a deal to buy 24 transport helicopters from U.S. weapons maker Lockheed Martin to strengthen its military air fleet.
The purchase comes after Indonesia’s defence ministry and U.S. planemaker Boeing signed an agreement on the sale of 24 F-15EX fighter jets on Monday.
The latest deal, signed by Indonesia’s aerospace state-owned company Dirgantara Indonesia and Lockheed Martin, is for Sikorsky S-70M Black Hawk GFA-type helicopters, which the company says are commonly used to “deliver and extract troops”.
Prabowo Subianto, Indonesia’s defence minister, said the purchase could “increase the strength of Indonesia’s military.”
Indonesia has increased its defence spending in recent years to overhaul its fleet, which includes U.S-made F-16 and Russian Sukhoi Su-27 and Su-30 jets.