4 foreign aircraft forced down by RI Air Force in 2013

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar | Archipelago | Mon, October 07 2013, 10:45 AM




The Indonesian Air Force Operations Command (Koopsau) II forced four foreign aircraft to land in the first nine months of 2013 for entering Indonesian airspace without permission.

Koopsau II commander Vice Marshal Agus Supriatna revealed the information on Saturday on the sidelines of a ceremony to commemorate the Indonesian Military’s (TNI) 68th anniversary at the Sultan Hasanuddin Air Force Base just outside Makassar, South Sulawesi.

Agus, however, declined to elaborate from which countries the aircraft were from.

He said one was forced down in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, although the aircraft was later released after meeting all the requirements.

Agus said Koopsau II covered a vast region that was prone to foreign airplanes trespassing without proper documents.

Koopsau II oversees roughly two-thirds of Indonesian airspace ranging from Central Java to Papua.

He added that Koopsau II was always alert and ready to intercept foreign aircraft trespassing into Indonesian airspace, but admitted Koopsau II did not have a sufficient military capability to oversee the vast region.

“We do not yet have the ideal number of major weapon systems to guard the vast airspace under our authority, but we do our utmost to guard it,” he said.

He also thanked the government for giving more weapon systems to the Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) such as jet fighters and other weapons systems.

Sultan Hasanuddin houses the TNI AU’s fifth Wing, which oversees the fifth and 11th squadrons.

The fifth Squadron is a maritime surveillance squadron equipped with US-made Boeing 737-2x9 Surveiller and Indonesian-made CN-235 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA).

The 11th Squadron houses the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-27/30 Flanker. On Sept. 24, the Indonesian government officially received the last two double-seater Su-30 MK2s. In total, the squadron numbers 16 Su-27/30s.

The Flankers were initially scheduled to perform at Sultan Hasanuddin to commemorate the TNI’s 68th anniversary.

A last minute order, however, saw them perform a flyover at Halim in East Jakarta.

Sultan Hasanuddin is the easternmost air force base that has its own squadron. There are no squadrons in Maluku and Papua, while other major islands in Indonesia have at least one squadron capable of conducting air patrols.

Previously, Koopsau II forced down a Cessna 208 at Sepinggang Air Force Base for violating Indonesian airspace in September 2012, and a Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 737-300 in March 2011.

In 2011, there was a diplomatic row with Papua New Guinea after two Flankers shadowed an aircraft carrying deputy prime minister Belden Namah on Nov. 29, 2011, for allegedly entering Indonesian airspace without the proper documentation.

The Jakarta Post