Indonesian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons Secure ASEAN Summit 2011

Indria Sari, MD, MPH/ Captain/ Flight Surgeon

 3 Fighter Squadron, Iswahjudi Air Force Base  

Dragon warrior is a proud name of F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot. 3 Fighter Squadron, located in Iswahjudi Air Force Base Madiun, is home of dragon warriors. On May, this squadron got a mission to secure ASEAN Summit 2011, which will be held in Jakarta Convention Centre. Four F-16 are ready to support this event. The team that led by its Commander Ltc.Ian “Hyena” Fuady will start the day with “Tangkis Petir” operation.

As mentioned by Chief of Command of National Air Defence (Pangkohanudnas), Marsda TNI Eddy Suyanto in morning briefing on May 4^th, terrorism is one of threats that should be thought of. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is designed to be a multirole fighter aircraft. It has advanced aerodynamics and avionics. Moreover, it can reach a maximum speed of over Mach 2 (twice of speed of sound). No wonder if F-16 is chosen to ensure the safety of national air defense during this high level meeting in Jakarta.

Leaders and delegates from neighbor countries are going to arrive on May 5^th – 6^th. Meanwhile, the peak of ASEAN Summit itself will be on May 7^th – 8^th where the leaders of 10 countries will have an official meeting. ASEAN summit was firstly held in Bali in 1976. This annual meeting is held in relation to economic an cultural development of Southeast Asian countries. In year 2011, sit as the chairman, Indonesia tries to accommodate some agenda to be discussed in this meeting.

Members of ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations): 1.    Brunei Darussalam 6. Myanmar 2.    Cambodia 7. Philippines 3.    Indonesia 8. Singapore 4.    Laos 9. Thailand 5.    Malaysia 10. Vietnam

The mission of F-16 is not limited to daylight only. Due to ASEAN Summit agenda, the meeting is scheduled to be held at night as well. For that reason, dragon warriors are prepared to perform night flight to safe this summit. In this case, it is important for flight surgeon to remind the pilots to avoid bright light during the day before a duty period as an aid in dark adaptation and use supplementary O₂ while flying at night.

Soon after “Tangkis Petir” operation is accomplished, another two exercises will follow. They are “Kilat” and “Cakra” exercise. “Kilat” exercise is meant to developvthe readiness of Ground Control Interceptor (GCI) of radar unit which placed in Tanjung Kait and Cibalimbing. GCI guides the interceptor aircraft (the F-16) to get closer to “unknown object” flying above Indonesian territory. Therefore, the interceptor aircraft is able to make visual identification. The main aim of this exercise is to train air defense elements under the Sector Command I (Kosek I).  Meanwhile the main purpose of “Cakra” exercise is to assess the ability of the F-16 pilots in performing tactical combat maneuver.

Universally agreed, exercise makes perfect. A number of exercises within a week above the capital city is hoped to enhance the quality of our F-16 pilots.

Dragon warriors in “Tangkis Petir” Operation, “Kilat” and “Cakra” exercise:

 

1. Ltc. Ian “Hyena” Fuady	5. Captain G.M. Yoga “Barong” Ambara	9. 1st Lieutenant Anwar “Weasel”  Sovie
2. Major Yulmaizir “Coyote”	6. Captain Andri “Harpy” Setyawan	10. 1st Lieutenant Anugrah Gigih “Badger”  Pratama
3. Major Anjar “Beagle” Legowo	7. 1st Lieutenant Pandu Eka “Hornet”  Prayoga	11. 1st Lieutenant Rahman Fauzi
4. Major Nur “Racer” Alimi	8. 1st Lieutenant Bambang Aulia “Sphinx” Yudhistira	12. 1st Lieutenant Ferry Rachman

The key of success in every mission is a solid team work. Besides the readiness of the F-16 and adequate ground support, health aspect is also important. Taking rest, good nutrition and exercise (such as jogging, playing football, etc) will keep our condition stay fit. It is true that health is not everything, but without health, any mission cannot reach the optimal goal. Keep our pilots stay healthy. Keep them safely flying.