Indonesian Air Force
The Indonesian Air Force (Indonesian: Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara or TNI-AU) is the air force branch of the Indonesian Armed Forces.
Personnel of the Indonesian Air Force total 27,850. Of its 246 aircraft, only 44% are operational.
History
Before Indonesian Independence (1941-1945)
After World War II ended, Indonesia became the second country (after Thailand/Siam) in South East Asia to acquire an Air Force capability. Indonesian pilots fought against the colonial forces of The Netherlands during 1945-1949 with former Japanese aircraft abandoned at the end of World War II, as well as aircraft of the Netherlands East Indies Air Force (including Curtiss P-36 Mohawk, Brewster F2A Buffalo and Fokker D.XXI fighters; Glenn Martin B-10 bombers; Fokker C.X reconnaissance floatplanes) left before the occupation by Japan in 1941.
Indonesian War of Independence/The Netherlands 'Police Action' (1945-1949)
After the Japanese surrendered at the end of WW II, Indonesian nationalist leader Sukarno declared Indonesian Independence on August 17th, 1945. Several days later, a People's Security Force (Badan Keamanan Rakyat) was formed to undertake security duties. The Air Division of this force was also formed, using ex-Japanese planes scattered everywhere, especially in the island of Java, including Bugis Air Base in Malang (Established on 18 September 1945). The most numerous of these airplanes were the Kawanishi K5Y1 Willow (Curen) trainers, which were hastily used to train newly recruited cadets. At the time of the founding, there was only one Indonesian holding a multi-engine pilot license from the pre-war Dutch Flying School (but never had had no opportunity to fly during the 3.5-year Japanese occupation). He was assisted by a few Japanese pilots who decided to stay in the newly born country. The new roundel was created simply by painting white on the lower part of the Japanese Hinomaru, reflecting the red and white of the Indonesian flag. The People's Security Force was then re-organized to form a formal armed force. This marked the birth of the Indonesian Air Force on April 9th, 1946. However, tensions rose as the Dutch tried to re-claim their former colony and launched an assault in July 21st, 1947, destroying most of the planes on the ground. Some planes survived though and were hidden in remote bases.
July 29, 1947 was date of the first air operation by the newborn air force as three surviving aircraft, comprising two Yokosuka K5Y "Willow"(Curen) and a Mitsubishi Ki-51 "Sonia" (the fourth aircraft, a Nakajima Ki-43 "Oscar" (Hayabusha), should also have been involved in the raid, but as of when it was launched, the aircraft was not airworthy) conducted air raids at dawn on the Dutch Army barracks in Semarang, Salatiga and Ambarawa, dropping incendiary bombs. Tactically, these raids did not have any effect on the Dutch positions, but psychologically, it was a great success as it proved that the Indonesian Air Force still existed. The Dutch had previously claimed the destruction of Indonesian Air Force in their assault before and they never expected any attack from the sky. Dutch Curtiss P-40E Warhawks tried to find all the guerrilas' planes, but they were too late to find those "ghost" aircraft which landed quickly in Maguwo Air Base, near Yogyakarta (now, Adisucipto International Airport). Indonesian pro-independence guerrillas tried to save captured aircraft in a number of remote areas, including examples of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero-Sen "Zeke", Aichi D3A "Val", and Mitsubishi G4M "Betty".
Under pressure from the United Nations, the Dutch finally agreed to acknowledge Indonesian independence. Following the 1949 Round Table Conference, sovereignty was officially transferred to the United States of Indonesia. The Dutch armed forces left (but remained in West Papua until 1963) and the airplanes were handed over to the Indonesians. These comprised, among others, North American P-51 Mustang, North American B-25 Mitchell, Douglas A-26 Invader, Douglas C-47 Dakota and Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina, which served as the main forces of the Indonesian Air Force for the following decade. During this era, Indonesia received its first jet aircraft; De Havilland DH-115 Vampire. It was also during this era that the national roundels were changed to the red & white pentagon.
Action against rebellions (1950-1961)
Political instability meant that the Indonesian Air Force saw action against several regional rebellions in Indonesia, such as PRRI-PERMESTA, Darul Islam-Tentara Islam Indonesia (DI/TII) and the Republic of South Maluku separatists. Several Indonesian pilots scored their first kills, including Capt. Ignatius Dewanto with his P-51 Mustang, who shot down a PRRI-PERMESTA A-26 Invader over Ambon. Its pilot, an American CIA agent named Allen Lawrence Pope, was captured and put on trial in Jakarta, thus revealing the significant involvement of CIA in the rebellion. The most famous Indonesian fighter pilot during this time was Rusmin Nurjadin, who became Chief of the Air Staff from 1966 to 1969. He also commanded MiG-21 squadrons from 1962 to 1965 and founded an acrobatic team in 1962 that flew the MiG-17F/PF Fresco over some cities in Indonesia. Little numbers of Indonesian Air Force's pilot gained their reputation as aces in this era.The Golden Era of Soviet Influence (1962-1965)
The rise of the communist party in Indonesia (Communist Party of Indonesia) drew Indonesia closer to the Eastern Block. Several Soviet-built aircraft began to arrive in the early 60’s. In 1961, Indonesia became the second country to receive and operate the new Tu-16 Badger bombers. Around 25 Tu-16KS missile strike Badgers were delivered complete with AS-1 'Kennel' air-surface missiles. One crashed at the end of 1962. Several kinds of MiG also arrived comprising MiG-15UTI Fagot, MiG-17F/PF Fresco, MiG-19S Farmer and F-13 Fishbed, in addition to Il-28 Beagle, Mi-4 Hound, Mi-6 Hook and An-12 Cub.Indonesia also received La-11. Some Tupolev Tu-2 from China also arrived, intended to replace the B-25, but they never reached operational status. These aircraft served along with the remaining western aircraft such as B-25 Mitchell, A-26 Invader, C-47 Dakota, and P-51 Mustang. It was during this period that the Indonesian Air Force became the largest air force in the southern hemisphere.
This era also marked the last confrontation with the Dutch in Papua, before the Dutch, again under pressure of the United Nations, left in 1963. The Indonesian Air Force at this time had more modern and greater numbers of aircraft than Dutch. Several missions of USAF Taiwan-based Lockheed U-2s from 35th Squadron (Black Cat Squadron in Taiwan) flew over Maluku (Mollucas) and reported to Dutch military that there was a big possibility that Dutch would lose their air superiority over Papua if they continued the war. Although Indonesia won this conflict in a diplomatic way, several P-51,MiG-15,MiG-21 and C-47 were downed in this short conflict.
In this period, Indonesian Air Force also took part in the confrontation with the Malaysian Federation (backed by the United Kingdom) along the border of Kalimantan, the Malacca Strait and near the Singapore Border. However, Indonesian lost more aircraft than had been shot down in the conflict in Papua.
The September 30 movement and the overthrow of Sukarno (1966-1970)
The coup attempt lead by the 30 September Movement in 1965 changed everything and a new anti-communist regime from the Army, led by Major General Suharto, took power. Ties with the Eastern block countries were cut, and thus support and spare parts for the planes became short. By August 1968 the situation was critical, and in early 1970, the Air Force Chief-of-Staff, Suwoto Sukandar, said that the spare parts situation meant that only 15 -20 percent of aircraft were airworthy. The MiG force made its farewell flight with a flypast of Jakarta in 1970. The relatively new MiG-19s were sold to Pakistan. By October 1970, only one Tu-16 was still flying, but after an in-flight engine failure, it too was grounded. The largest air force in the southern hemisphere slowly but surely became one of the smallest. In this period, the Indonesian Air Force bought 16 Rockwell OV-10 Bronco for counter-insurgency purposes. The Indonesian Air Force also took part in the 1975 Indonesian invasion of East Timor (now Timor Leste).
Rebirth of the Indonesian Air Force (1970-1980)
Indonesia recovered soon by receiving ex-Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) CAC Sabres — an Australian re-design of the F-86 Sabre — to replace their MiG-21s. The Sabre was used by the TNI-AU until 1982.
Indonesia then purchased BAe Hawk Mk 53s from United Kingdom in the 1970s.
The Influence of Western Products (1980-1998)
In the early 1980s, the Air Force, needing modern strike aircraft, organized Operation Alpha to clandetinely acquire ex-Israeli Air Force A-4 Skyhawks. Air Force personnel were sent in secret by different routes and eventually Indonesian received 32 aircraft.
In 1982, Indonesia purchased 16 Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II from the United States to replace their Sabres. These were upgraded in Belgium from 1995.
During 1986–88, there was a tight competition for the contract to provide a new fighter bomber, between the Northrop F-16 and Dassault Mirage 2000, (especially after the Indonesian Air Show in 1986). Indonesia ordered 12 F-16A/B Fighting Falcon Block 15 OCU as a new fighter to strengthen the Indonesian Air Force in 1989. A follow-up order for 9 more F-16A Block-15 OCU was cancelled in favor of 24 Su-30KI Flankers, this order was also cancelled due to the ASEAN Economic Crisis. The Indonesian Air Force had originally planned to acquire 60 F-16s to cover and defend its 12 million square kilometers of territory.A total of 10 F-16A and F-16B are still in service with Indonesian Air Force: 2 planes crashed in two different accidents. However, only a few of these are still serviceable.
The Indonesian Air Force ordered eight BAe Hawk Mk 109s and 32 Mk 209s in 1993. The last of these was delivered by January 1997.
TNI-AU Today (1998 - present)
In 1999, the Indonesian Military staged a military intervention following the East Timor's referendum. The result was that more than 1,500 were civilians killed and 70 percent of Dili's infrastructure razed. In response, the United States and the European Union both imposed arms embargoes. Although, The European Union chose not to renew its ban in 2000, The United States did not lift its embargo until November 2005. During this embargo the Indonesian government turned to Russia to supply them with arms including fighters, helicopters, missiles, radars and other equipment.
In 2002, Indonesian Air Force continued to use all of its assets against local separatists, such as the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and Free Papua Movement (Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM)). In the conflict with GAM in Aceh, the Indonesian Air Force utilized OV-10Fs for counter-insurgency actions along with BAe Hawk 53 and 209 with great success.
By 2005 the Air Force was experiencing a logistical crisis. The F-16 Fighting Falcons and A-4 Skyhawk, which accounted for 80% of its air combat assets, were at the minimum or nil level of combat readiness.
In July 2003, the Air Force managed to scramble two fully armed F-16 to intercept five U.S. F/A-18 Hornets maneuvering over Bawean Island off the Eastern coast of Java island. The incident ended peacefully through a Friend or Foe hand signal. A US spokesman said the naval aircraft had sought permission to enter Indonesian airspace while escorting a US aircraft carrier, but the request arrived too late at the air force defense headquarters in Jakarta due to red tape.
In that same year, the Air Force received two Su-27 Flankers and two Su-30 Flanker-Ds from Russia. The fighters were partly paid in Indonesian palm oil. The purchase, however, did not include any weaponry. Unbeknown to most Seven KT-1b Korean Basic Trainers were also purchased.
Furthermore, in 2006, the Indonesian Air Force ordered three Sukhoi Aerospace Su-27SKM Flankers and three Sukhoi Aerospace Su-30MK2 Flanker-Gs to complete a full squadron. It was also made public that the four aircraft procured in 2003 are inactive and awaiting upgrade of their communication systems, because they were incompatible with the Indonesian systems in use. The additional aircraft will be ordered with systems complying with the Indonesian and international standards and would also include new weaponry for all variants. A further 12 KT-1b Korean basic trainers were also ordered in 2006.
Future plans, if the military budget permits, include purchasing six new F-16 C/Ds Fighting Falcon to strengthen the F-16 squadron, upgrading the current fleet of C-130 Hercules to modern C-130Js and buying newer C-130Js to supplement the inventory, purchasing newer advanced trainers and light attack aircraft for COIN operations, purchasing new radars and receiving new logistical equipment from both Western and Russian manufacturers. The Indonesian Ministry of Defense also expressed it interest in buying approximately two squadrons of refurbished Dassault Mirage 2000-5 from France, complete with Matra Magic II and MBDA MICA air-to-air missiles. France recommended the Dassault Rafale to Indonesian Air Force, since Dassault had decided to stop the production of Dassault Mirage 2000. The Indonesian Air Force is also showing interest in the newly made Chengdu J-10 Vigorous Dragon and JF-17 Thunder from China, and also the SAAB JAS-39 Gripen from Sweden, as some options to succeed their aging Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II. In March 2008, Indonesian Air Force ordered 16 Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano from Brazil to replace its Rockwell OV-10F Bronco.
To date, the Indonesian Air Force has only acquired four types of missiles - the AS-1 Kennel (KS-1 Kometa), AIM-9 Sidewinder, AGM-65 Maverick and AA-2 Atoll (Vympel K-13). There are plans to purchase more advanced air-to-air missiles, such as AA-10 Alamo (Vympel R-27), AA-11 Archer (Vympel R-73), AA-12 Adder (Vympel R-77) and AA-X-13 Arrow (Vympel R-37), as well as other air-to-ground missiles (AS-14 "Kedge" (Kh-29), anti ship missiles (AS-17 "Krypton" and AS-13 "Kingbolt"), general purpose bombs and cluster bombs from Russia, to be carried by their Flankers. At this time, Indonesian Flankers are armed with Indonesian made (US licensed) Mk.82 bombs. There is a possibility that Indonesian Air Force will also purchase extremely long range air-to-air missile Novator KS-172 AAM-L, after the Indonesian Army evaluated and showed their interest in purchasing S-300PMU "Grumble" and SA-17 "Grizzly" missiles.
Squadrons
Note Squadron list is not complete
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Squadron
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|English Translation
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Base
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Logo
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
|-----
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | Trainer Squadron
|-----
|Skadron Pendidikan 101
|Education Squadron 101
|Adisucipto International Airport
|AS/SA 202-18A
T-41D
|
|-----
|Skadron Pendidikan 102
|Education Squadron 102
|Adisucipto International Airport
|T-34C
KT-1B
|
|
|-----
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | Fighter Squadron
|-----
|Skadron Udara 1
|Air Squadron 1
|Supadio Airport
|BAE Hawk Mk. 109
BAE Hawk Mk. 209
||-----
|Skadron Udara 12
|Air Squadron 12
|Sultan Syarif Qasim II International Airport
|BAE Hawk Mk. 109
BAE Hawk Mk. 209
||-----
|Skadron Udara 3 Elang Biru
|Air Squadron 3 Blue Falcon
|Iswahyudi Airport
|F-16A Block-15 OCU
F-16B Block-15 OCU
||Also the Air Force's aerobatics squadron
|-----
|Skadron Udara 14
|Air Squadron 14
|Iswahyudi Airport
|F-5E
F-5F
||-----
|Skadron Udara 15 Team Jupiter
|Air Squadron 15 Team Jupiter
|Iswahyudi Airport
|BAE Hawk Mk. 53
||Also the Air Force's aerobatics squadron
|-----
|Skadron Udara 11
|Air Squadron 11
|Hasanuddin International Airport
|Su-27SK
Su-30MK
A-4E
TA-4H
TA-4J
||
|-----
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | Logistics and Transport Squadron
|-----
|Skadron Udara 2
|Air Squadron 2
|Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport
|CN235-110M
F27-400M
||-----
|Skadron Udara 17
|Air Squadron 17
|Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport
|B707-3MIC
F27-400M
F28 Mk 1000/ Mk 3000
L100-30
C-130H-30
NAS332L-1
||-----
|Skadron Udara 31
|Air Squadron 31
|Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport
|L100-30
C-130H-30
||-----
|Skadron Udara 4
|Air Squadron 4
|Abdul Rachman Saleh Airport
|NC212M-200
||-----
|Skadron Udara 32
|Air Squadron 32
|Abdul Rachman Saleh Airport
|C-130B
KC-130B
C-130H
||Aerial Refuel is also assigned in this squadron
|-----
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | Helicopters and Non Fix Winged Squadron
|-----
|Skadron Udara 6
|Air Squadron 6
|Atang Sanjaya Airport
|S-58T
NBo105CB
Bell206
H-500
BK-117
||-----
|Skadron Udara 7
|Air Squadron 7
|Suryadarma Airport
|Bell 47G-3B
Bell 204B
EC.120 Colibri
||-----
|Skadron Udara 8
|Air Squadron 8
|Suryadarma Airport
|SA330J
NSA330L
||}
Aircraft Inventory
Fighter / Trainer Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Role
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
|-----
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | Trainer Aircraft
|-----
| AS/SA 202 Bravo
|
| Basic Prop Trainer
| AS/SA 202-18A
| 40
|
|-----
| KAI KT-1
|
| Basic Prop Trainer
| KT-1B
| 7
| 12 on order
|-----
| Beechcraft T-34 Mentor
|
| Basic Prop Trainer
| T-34C
| 14
|-----
| Aermacchi SF.260
|
| Basic Prop Trainer
| SF-260M/W
| 15
| 19 were donated by Singapore
|-----
| BAe Hawk
|
| Basic Jet Trainer
Advanced Jet Trainer |Hawk 53
Hawk 109 | 18
8 | Only 2 Hawk 53s are serviceable |----- | Douglas A-4 Skyhawk | | Advanced Jet Trainer |TA-4H
TA-4J | 2
2 | |----- | | | |Total |106 | |----- ! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | Fighter Aircraft |----- | BAe Hawk | |Light Atack Aircraft/COIN operations |Hawk 209 | 32 |----- | Rockwell OV-10 Bronco | | Light Attack Aircraft/COIN Operations | OV-10F | 0 | 0 operational of original 16 Fleet grounded as of 2005 as a result of a crash |----- | Douglas A-4 Skyhawk | | Ground Attack Fighter | A-4E
A-4H | 0 | 33 Retired / In Reserve |----- | Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon | | Multirole Fighter | F-16A Block-15 OCU
F-16B Block-15 OCU | 6
4 |Indonesia had a total of 12 F-16 aircraft in 1996 but 2 were lost during different incidents. Requesting approval to purchase six new F-16C/Ds and to modernize its old F-16 fleet. |----- ||Northrop F-5E Tiger II | | Multirole Fighter | F-5E | 2 | Further 14 Retired / In Reserve |----- | Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker | | Air Superiority Fighter | Su-27SK
Su-27SKM | 2
0 | 3 Su-27SKM variants were ordered in 2006 . Newly ordered planes will be operational in October 2008. |----- | Sukhoi Su-30 Flanker-C | | Air Superiority Fighter | Su-30MK
Su-30MK2 | 2
0 | 3 Su-30MK2 variants were ordered in 2006 . Newly ordered planes will be operational in October 2008.
|----- | | |Total |Operational
Retired / Reserve
Total | 48
63
'''111 | (Not including the 6 new Flankers) |----- ! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | Tactical Airlift, Transport, Maritime patrol |----- | Boeing 707 | | VIP Transport | 707-3M1C | 1 | Replaced by the Boeing 737 2Q8 |---- | Boeing 737 | | VIP Transport
Maritime Reconnaissance | 737 2Q8
737 2x9 Surveiller | 1
3 |
Fitted with SLAMMAR (Side-looking Multi-mission Airborne Radar) |----- | de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo | | Tactical Airlift | DHC-5D |3 |----- | Lockheed C-130 Hercules | | Tactical Airlift/Transport
Aerial Refuel | C-130 B/H
KC-130B Hercules | 8
2 | 8 operational of 24 Plans of upgrading or possibly buying newer variants |----- | Fokker F-27 | | Tactical Airlift/Transport | F27-400M | 7 | 7 operational of 8 |----- | CASA CN-235 |
| Tactical Airlift/Transport | CN-235 110/220M
CN-235 MPA | 6
0 | †
3 CN-235 MPA Variants were ordered in 2007 |----- | Fokker F28 | | Transport | F-28 Mk 1000
F-28 Mk 3000 |5 |----- |CASA C-212 Aviocar | | Transport | NC-212-100
NC-212-200 |28
0 | † Upgrading to NC212-200 versions in the near future |----- | Douglas C-47 Skytrain | | Transport | C-47 | 3 | Soon to be retired |----- | | | |Total Operational |68 | |----- ! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | Helicopters and Non Fix Winged Aircraft |----- | Bell 47 | | Multirole Light Helicopter | Bell 47G-3B | 12 | Replaced by the Eurocopter EC 120 Colibri |----- | Eurocopter EC 120 Colibri | | Light Utility Helicopter | EC-120B | 11 | Replacing the Bell 47 |----- | Sikorsky S-58 Choctaw | | Utility Helicopter | S-58T | |Currently Being phased out due to service life & lack of spare parts |----- | Aérospatiale Puma | | Troop Transport | NAS 330J | 11 | † |---- | Bell 412 | | Troop Transport | NBell 412S
NBell 412HP |4
4 | † |----- | Bell 204 | | Troop Transport | Bell 204B | | |----- | MBB Bo 105 | | SAR Missions | NBO-105 CB
NBO-105 CBS | 6
1 | † |----- | Eurocopter Super Puma | | SAR Missions/Troop Transport
VIP Transport |
NAS-332 Super Puma
NAS-332 Super Puma VVIP |
7
2 | † A total of 16 has been ordered since 1998 |----- | | | |Total | 60 |Exact numbers not known since some data are missing |}
† Note that aircraft with that symbol means they are locally produced by IPTN, now Indonesian Aerospace
Indonesian Airforce Gallery
Commanders
The following have served as Chief of the Air Staff:Notes
References
- Aero-News Network. "Indonesian Air Force Grounds OV-10 Bronco Fleet," July 25, 2007
- Angkasa (Sky) magazine, Gramedia, Jakarta No. 7 Year XVII April 2008
- * Crouch, Harold (2007) The Army and Politics in Indonesia, Equinox, Jakarta ISBN 979-378-050-9
- F. Djoko Poerwoko (2001) My Home My Base: Perjalanan Sejarah Pangkalan Udara Iswahjudi 1939-2000, Publisher - Iswahjudi Air Force Base, No ISBN
- Indonesian Embassy, Ottowa: US to help RI in repair/refurbishing 15 of 24 RI's C-130 transport
- Grodin, Yefim & Rigmat, Vladimir (2004) Tupelov Tu-16 Badger , Aerofax, London ISBN 1-85780-177-6
- Scramble Magazine. "Indonesian Air Arms Overview"
- Willis, David (Ed). Aerospace Encyclopedia of the World's Air Forces. Aerospace Publishing, London, 1999 ISBN 1-86184-045-4
Further reading
- Carlo Kopp, 'Indonesia's Air Capacity of Critical Concern to Australia,' Australian Aviation magazine, April 1993, pages 32-41
External links
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Friday October 03, 2008 at 02:18:27 PDT (GMT -0700)
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