page_title: Indonesian Air Force
section_title: Soviet influence (1962–1965)
hierarchical_section_title: Indonesian Air Force / History / Soviet influence (1962–1965)
caption_attribution_description: English: At Satriamandara Museum (Jakarta Armed Forces Museum)
context_page_description: The Indonesian Air Force is the aerial branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. The Indonesian Air Force is headquartered in Jakarta, Indonesia and is headed by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Its order of battle is split into three Air Force Operational Commands. Most of its airbases are located on the island of Java. The Indonesian Air Force also has its ground force unit, called Air Force Special Forces Corps. The corps is also known as the "Orange Berets" due to their distinctive color of their service headgear. In addition, while not part of the Air Force, most of the personnel of the Indonesian National Air Defense Forces Command are picked from the Air Force, and its commander is always an Air Force two-star Marshal.
  The Indonesian Air Force has 37,850 personnel and equipped with 110 combat aircraft. The inventory includes five Su-27 and eleven Su-30 as the main fighters supplemented by 33 F-16 Fighting Falcons, Hawk 200, KAI T-50 and Embraer EMB314.
context_section_description: The need to prop up to what became Operation Trikora in Dutch Papua and the rise of the communist party in Indonesia (Communist Party of Indonesia) drew Indonesia closer to the Eastern Bloc. Several Soviet-built aircraft began to arrive in the early 1960s including the MiG-15UTI from Czechoslovakia, MiG-17F/PF, MiG-19S and MiG-21F-13, in addition to Ilyushin Il-28, Mil Mi-4, Mil Mi-6, Antonov An-12 and Avia 14 also from Czechoslovakia. Indonesia also received Lavochkin 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 American aircraft such as North American B-25 Mitchell, Douglas A-26 Invader, Douglas C-47 Dakota, and North American P-51 Mustang. It was during this period that the Indonesian Air Force became the first Air Force in Southeast Asia which acquired the capability of strategic bombing by acquiring the new Tupolev Tu-16 in 1961, before the acquisition of Ilyushin Il-28 by Vietnam People's Air Force. Around 25 Tu-16KS were delivered complete with AS-1 air-surface missiles. One crashed at the end of 1962.
  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. Several missions of Taiwan-based Lockheed U-2s from 35th Squadron flew over Maluku (Mollucas) and reported to Dutch military that there was a strong possibility that Dutch would lose their air superiority over Papua if they continued the war. During Operation Trikora, the air force was deployed as follows:
  7 P-51Ds based at Laha airbase, Ambon. One aircraft piloted by Second Air Lieutenant Prasetyo lost due to engine failure during the ferry flight from Makassar to Ambon. The pilot, Second Air Lieutenant Prasetyo, died after bailing out from the aircraft and landed in a high-tide seas and couldn't be rescued by the Air Forces' PBY-5 Catalina due to the extreme weather after Prasetyo's accident
  40 MiG-17F/PF aircraft on three airfields: Morotai (in northern Maluku), Amahai (in Seram) and Letfuan (in Banda islands, located in the southwest of Papua). The aircraft had been stationed at Morotai before Operation Trikora for actions against PRRI-PERMESTA and the Republic of South Maluku separatists. The primary role of these aircraft were to provide air cover for the airlift and logistics aircraft during the early infiltration to Papua. If the war broke out, these MiG-17F/PF would provide the air cover for Tu-16 anti-shipping missions and Il-28 bombing missions, also for intercepting Netherlands' Hawker Hunters based in Numfor, Biak.
  4 B-25 Mitchells and two A-26 Invaders at Letfuan airbase. Their primary role was for transport and providing air cover for the airlift, until this role was assumed by the P-51Ds and MiG-17F/PFs. Dutch Lockheed PV-2 Neptunes were known as the strongest rival for these Letfuan-based units.
  18 Il-28s stationed first at Laha airbase, but then moved to Amahai airbase, due to the shortness of runway at Laha for the landing of the aircraft.
  26 Tu-16s stationed in Iswahyudi airbase near Ngawi, Jawa Timur in 41st and 42nd Squadron. Six aircraft were scrambled to Morotai airbase for the operation. These units were to threaten the Dutch naval fleet in Papua including HNLMS Karel Doorman (R81), the only aircraft carrier of the Dutch naval fleet.
  24 Douglas C-47 Dakotas stationed at three airfields; Laha, Amahai and Letfuan. One aircraft piloted by Air Captain Djalaludin Tantu and co-pilot Second Air Lieutenant Sukandar, was downed by a Dutch PV-2. All crews bailed out safely from the aircraft, but were soon captured by the Dutch forces after hiding in Papua
  10 Lockheed C-130 Herculess stationed at Halim Perdanakusumah airbase at Jakarta. Despite the warning from United States to not use the aircraft for the operation, it soon scrambled over the Papua for the airlift mission, due to the loss of C-47s, to Dutch Hawker Hunters and PV-2s. The C-130's high altitude flying capability made it less vulnerable to interception.
  6 Douglas DC-3s and
caption: Indonesian Air Force B-25 Mitchell at the Jakarta Armed Forces Museum
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