Airborne Operation during Operation Dwikora

Within the framework of the confrontation with Malaysia, the Indonesian Air Force conducted numerous operations. These included Operation Terang Bulan 1 and 2, Saputangan, Waspada, Kawal, Kelelawar, Antasari 1, 2, and 3, Rembes, Nantang, Tanggul Baja, Pindah, Panca and Geser.
Along with mobilizing air craft, the air force also prepared the PGT (Air Force para-commandos) to combine with volunteer forces in an effort to infiltrate into Malaysia. Before that, PGT members had helped distribute leaflets over the north Kalimantan-Sarawak border from C-130 aircraft.
The infiltration of PGT took place by sea, land and air. Different from Trikora campaign or PRRI/Permesta exterminate operations, this time PGT act as airborne solo performer without any support from Indonesian Army Airborne unit.
On 2 September 1964, three PGT platoons – two of them from Lieutenant Soetikno’s company (Bandung) and one from Lieutenant Soeroso’s company (Jakarta) – departed Halim Perdanakusuma airbase aboard three C-130 transports. However, one of three – with tail number T-1303, which was carrying Soeroso’s platoon – never arrived at its destination and did not return to base. Also on this plane was PGT Liutenat Colonel Sukani, Lieutenant Soeroso and flight captain Major Djalaludin Tantu. All died aboard this missing aircraft together with 47 PGT members, 10 Malaysian-Chinese defectors including 2 girls. This tragedy was the first Hercules C-130 B accident in the world.
Lieutenant Colonel Sukani was an important officer in the PGT at that time. He was commander of the PGT’s Regimental Combat Team. He was known for his bravery, showed constant dedication to duty and was popular with his troops.
Before this accident, a single platoon under Sergeant Sadikin infiltrated by sea on 16 August 1964 from Tanjung Pinang to Pasir Panjang, the to Pontian Kecil in Malaysia’s Johor stated. Within this platoon, a member named Soekardi was captured and condemned to hang by Malaysian authorities.
After landing on the beach at Pontian Kecil, the platoon was hit by Malaysian security forces and broke into small groups. Given the difficult situation, they were forced to hide by day and maneuver by night. However, in the end they were captured by the Malaysians and interned, at which time they met other PGT troops that had been caught on different infiltration missions.
Preparations for the first PGT infiltration by sea, in fact, had taken place back in April 1964 when two companies under Lieutenant Soetikno and Lieutenant Soekimin departed for a staging base at Tanjung Balai Karimun by motor-boat. On 17 August 1964, a second seaborne platoon under Sergeant Soeparmin headed for Malaysia. Almost the entire PGT member that infiltrate was captured by Allied forces because mostly of this infiltration mission was being spread out to the British and Malaysian authorities. Four PGT member that was safely return to Indonesia given a “Bintang Sakti” honorary medal from the Indonesian government together with other personnel that was died during the missions.
The Labis air-drop and Pontian landings nearly provoked a British air strike to Jakarta from Singapore. However, these landings were intended as far as possible to established the possibility of further Indonesian parachute and seaborne landings like Pontian and Labis.
In the book “Triwarsa Kopasgat” it states that in Operation Dwikora, PGT lost only 83 personnel and 117 personnel was captured. This is slightly less than the number of PGT para-commandos killed in Operation Trikora in West Irian, which amounted to 94 men.

Taifib mission in Comoro, Dili

Finally, the Joint Task Force of the Seroja operation decided that Sunday morning, December 7th 1975 as the D-Day to liberate East Timor from Fretilin. To secure beach for the amphibious landing, the Amphibious Task Force Command sending one team from the Marine Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion (Taifib) lead by Marine Captain Arthur Solang.
In pitch darkness of the early morning hours, Captain Solang with five of his subordinates left KRI Ratulangi by a rubber boat and then swam to shore and clears mine and install signs on the beach in preparation for the amphibious landing. They were supposed back to ship. Due to the strong currents that morning, Captain Solang decided to remain on the beach along with one of his team and wait for the arrival of the Landing Team Battalion with which he would hook up with. They did not have prior knowledge that the Amphibious Task Force unit would bomb the LZ, during the bombardments from the warships both of them was hidden out in some secure area of the Comoro beach.
Four other member of the Taifib team who were swimming back to the KRI Ratulangi was swept away by strong currents toward Alor island about 40 km away. Private 1st Class FHA Suyono swam three days and three nights heading for Alor. On the second day, he saw a Dakota from the Indonesian Air Force. The Private who had been floating in the strong currents and in open sea waves for more than 20 hours began to signal by waving his hands for assistance. But the C-47 Dakota was flying too high to spot him.
While swimming his ankles were attacked by fishes several times, causing lacerations. Luckily those wounds on his ankles from which he was suffering did not attract any sharks. Still, smaller fishes were nibbling on his feet, when he tried to fight them off and was buffeted the sea waves. He finally succeeds in making it to beach of the Alor island.
While totally exhausted, his energy drained and still having to defend for himself to survive. The indigenous islanders who surrounded him were hostile. Private 1st class Suyono was suspected of being a Fretilin member who had escaped from East Timor. Seeing the indignant looks on their faces, and realizing that they were planning to harm him, Private Suyono threatened them with a grenade. Finally the misunderstanding was settled in an amicable way when the islanders discovered another stranded Taifib Marine.
Both of them had to travel four days on foot to the nearest military post to report, before he was picked up by a Navy warship that was on patrol. Two others Taifib members, namely Sergeant Major Slamet Supriyadi and Corporal Supardi, who were swimming with them, were declared lost at sea in the official exercise of their duties.
While on the Comoro beach, Captain Solang and one of his subordinates then join with the Marine 5th Landing Infantry Battalion which was landing there and lead by Lieutenant Colonel Ahmad Sediono. After that the Marine moved towards to linked-up with Army unit on the Fatuhada street to the north of the Dili Airport. The Marine forces hold at this position.
Tragically, Marine Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Solang the Marine Taifib commander from 1977-1982 and commander of Denjaka (Navy Special Forces) from 1982-1985 died in the free fall accident in Serpong, West Java on November 22nd, 1985.

Hendro Subroto (Eyewitness to Integration of East Timor, Pustaka Sinar Harapan, 1997)

Space Agency Launches RX-420 Rocket

The country’s space agency successfully launched an unmanned rocket on Thursday, one small step in a plan to get a satellite into orbit by 2014, one of its executives said.

Toto Marnanto Kadri, the head of the Aerospace Electronics Technology Center at the Indonesian National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (Lapan), said the RX-420 rocket successfully blasted off into space on Thursday at around 8 a.m. from a launch pad in Pameungpeuk, several kilometers from the town of Garut, West Java.

“This is an experimental rocket. We launched it to measure our work and record information such as rocket trajectory data, height, launch position and so on,” Toto said. “This is part of our efforts to develop rocketry.”

He said data from the launch would be particularly valuable for the agency’s efforts to build its first satellite-deploying rocket, which is scheduled for liftoff in six years.

In a statement on the agency’s Web site, Lapan Chief Adi Sadewo Salatun said the launch had gone well. He stated that Lapan had managed to gather all of the key data from the launch’s first 10 seconds, information referred to as the “golden data.”

Toto said the rocket, with a diameter of 42 centimeters at its widest point, is the thickest rocket launched in the country so far. He said it fell to Earth after just a few minutes after blasting off, when its fuel ran out at a peak height of about 50 kilometers.

The 6.2-meter rocket carried a GPS device, an accelerometer and a temperature sensor.

He said that the launch was also a key advance for other components of the agency’s research program, such as a plan to send its first satellites into orbit in 2010. That project would carry remote-sensing surveillance and amateur radio communication equipment.

Lapan carried out a stationary test on RX-420 on Dec. 23 in Tarogong, West Java. Last year, the agency launched two smaller 32-cm diameter RX-320 rockets, also from the base in Pameungpeuk. The Lapan A-2 and Lapan-Orari satellites are to piggyback into orbit on an Indian rocket slated for launch in April. Lapan expects to finish those satellites by February.

source: jakartaglobe

Indonesia Turns Down Mirage Grant

The government has turned down a grant offer of 10 Mirage 2000 jet fighters from the Qatari government due to a lack of funds for maintenance, Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono said.
Juwono said Qatar offered the jets six months ago through Indonesia’s ambassador in Doha. The government needed only to send a letter requesting the aircraft.
“I have not sent a letter,” Juwono said. “But had I sent one, I would have told them that our state budget is focused on infrastructure and improving the people’s welfare. The military’s procurement of equipment must give way to those programs.”
Stopping short of disclosing maintenance costs for currently operated aircraft, Juwono said that the military’s budget did not allow for maintaining additional planes.
The Air Force was tempted by Qatar’s offer, Juwono said, but “I have told them that it is the maintenance costs that made us think twice about accepting the offer.”
The minister said there was no guarantee that French company Dassault Aviation, the maker of the Mirage fighters, would maintain its position in the international aviation industry in light of the current global recession.
“We do not want equipment that cannot be used for the long term,” he said.
Juwono said instead of acquiring more weaponry, the government had decided to focus on obtaining the best military technology. He said the recent purchases of Russian Sukhoi jet fighters and transport-attack helicopters, along with four Sigma-class corvettes, would help modernize the country’s military.

source: asiadefence

Indonesia Looks To Russian Submarines

The government is set to purchase at least one Kilo class Russian-made submarine, a legislator said. “There’s always been a plan to purchase submarine and I’ve surveyed a few submarine workshops in Moscow, Russia. This submarine is to display our naval strength and also anticipate any armed conflicts,” deputy speaker of the House of Representatives’ Commission 1 on political, security and foreign affairs, Yusron Ihza said, as quoted by Antara news.
Ihza added that due to the global economic downturn, the purchase would be made in stages.
“It’s not necessary to own many submarines since they are expensive, just three state of the art units suffice to safeguard the integrity of our waters,” Ihza said. He added that the country’s economic power needed enhancement as it correlated to the country’s defense and security.
If the country’s economy lies in the balance, so is our defense, Ihza said. “My colleagues and I at the House have fought for an increase in defense spending, yet unfortunately this isn’t possible now,” he said, adding that only a third of the proposed budget was approved.

source: asiadefence