THE three helicopters have sat dormant for almost four years. They have never been moved from their parking bay at the North Wings 400 Squadron base at the Indonesian Navy’s Republic of Indonesia Eastern Regional Fleet Command in Surabaya. Each day two technicians arrive to service the Mi-2 Russian-manufactured whirlybirds.

It is not that they are unable to fly because of being worn out or having disintegrated with age, in 2003 it was claimed