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Air Force to upgrade old weapons system, form new air command
The Indonesian Air Force is making upgrades to its primary weaponry defense system (Alutsista) and forming the National Air Operation Command (Koopsudnas), which will be responsible for air defense.
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Indonesian Air Force personnel stand near a line up of five Hawk jet fighters at Hang Nadim Air Base in Batam, Riau Islands, on Tuesday, April 3, 2018. (JP/Fadli)
The Indonesian Air Force is upgrading its primary weaponry defense system (Alutsista) and developing various new commands.
The plan was conveyed by Air Force chief of staff Marshal Yuyu Sutisna during the force’s 74th anniversary ceremony at its headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, on Thursday. He said the Air Force was working on the fourth phase of its strategic plan, which is expected to be completed by 2024.
"Our main priority in this particular stage is to replace our Alutsista, especially our jet fighters, radars and missiles,” Yuyu said during the ceremony on Thursday as quoted by kompas.com.
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He said Air Force personnel should also prepare for the development of new commands, including the National Air Operation Command (Koopsudnas), which will be responsible for air defense within the archipelago. Koopsudnas is created by combining the Air Force Operations Command (Koopsau) with the National Air Defense Command (Kohanudnas)
The formation of the national command is a follow up to the formation of the Joint Defense Area Command (Kogabwilhan), which oversees the existing combat units of all three military branches.
Before the formation of the joint command, each branch’s regional command had its own separate chain of command, which hindered coordination in joint military operations.
Yuyu said the Air Force would complete its grand plan under the 15-year-old weaponry modernization program, the Minimum Essential Force.
The Air Force’s 74th anniversary celebration was attended by only a handful of military personnel due to the government’s call for physical distancing to curb the spread of COVID-19. Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, the force held several events, including a jet fighter air show. (vny)
