TWO Indonesian air force pilots have been detained in Darwin for allegedly trying to smuggle Australian parrots aboard one of nine surplus RAAF C-130 Hercules transport aircraft being handed over to Jakarta.

The Australian newspaper reports two crewmen were in a group of Indonesians trained at Royal Australian Air Force Base Richmond to fly the Hercules, which are being handed over to Indonesia despite the diplomatic tensions caused by allegations Australia monitored the phones of President Bambang Susilo Yudhoyono.

The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service issued a statement saying only that two Indonesian nationals had been questioned in relation to alleged wildlife smuggling.

“As this is an ongoing ACBPS investigation it would not be appropriate to comment further,” the statement said.

“Australia has very strong laws to protect our wildlife against illegal activity and ACBPS takes any attempt to breach those laws seriously.”

The first of the nine C-130 Hercules transport aircraft was handed over despite Jakarta's ban on military and security contact with Australia, imposed following the spying scandal erupted.

The Australian understands Indonesia had already paid $30 million for the aircraft and its air force badly needs them to carry equipment and personnel around the sprawling archipelago.

The first of the older model C-130H aircraft has been refurbished and painted in Indonesian colours.

The nine aircraft have seen years of heavy duty with the RAAF in Iraq and Afghanistan and have been replaced with newer model Hercules and the RAAF's giant C-17 Globemaster ll transports.

Originally published as Pilots held in Darwin for 'budgie-smuggling'