Satria Mandala Museum The Satriamandala Museum ( also spelled Satria Mandala Museum ) is the main museum for the Indonesian Armed Forces . Opened on 5 October 1972 , it is located on of land in South Jakarta and holds numerous artefacts , weapons , and vehicles . Description . The museum is located on Gatot Soebroto Street in West Kuningan , Mampang , South Jakarta , and sits on of land ; the exhibitions are divided amongst three buildings and the grounds . It is the main military museum in Indonesia . The name Satria Mandala derives from Sanskrit and translates as " a sacred place for the knights " . The museum is open to the general public and has archives for persons researching the history of the armed forces . History . After 1968 , the head of the Indonesian Armed Forces ' history branch , Nugroho Notosusanto , conceived of a modern museum showcasing the military ' s role in Indonesia ' s development ; the available museums in the country , such as the Struggle Museum in Yogyakarta , were underfunded and had poorly defined mission statements . There was not yet a museum showing the united role of the military , only museums to the role of the Army , Navy , and Air Force . Notosusanto modeled his design after the Australian War Memorial in Canberra and the Museo Nacional de Historia in Mexico City , Mexico . At first , the military asked President Suharto to use the presidential palace in Bogor , a request which was denied . They were instead told to use the Wisma Yaso , built in 1960 as a home for then - president Sukarno ' s Japanese wife Ratna Dewi Sari ; the building had a Japanese style . The home was converted to a museum beginning on 15 November 1971 . Although development continued until 1979 , the museum was formally opened by President Suharto on Army Day , 5 October 1972 . On its opening day the museum housed only 20 diorama s . An additional museum , Waspada Purbawisesa , was built on the grounds in 1987 . After a series of protests from conservative Muslim groups were brought down through military force , such as in the Tanjung Priok , the New Order government gave more emphasis to Pancasila education ; Waspada Purbawisesa played that role in Satriamandala . In January 2010 Satriamandala was declared a Cultural Property of Indonesia . It averaged 48 , 000 visitors years between 2006 and 2008 . Exhibitions . The museum contains numerous exhibitions on the military history of Indonesia . It includes a room dedicated to squadron banners , one dedicated to artefacts belonging to General Oerip Soemohardjo ( the military ' s first Chief of Staff ) , General of the Army Sudirman ( the military ' s first commander in chief ) , General Abdul Haris Nasution , and General Suharto . A nearby area contains hundreds of rifles , grenades , sharpened bamboo sticks , and other weapons dating from the 1940s and later . A Hall of Heroes holds life - size statues of members of the military who have been declared National Heroes of Indonesia , with Sudirman and Oerip in places of honour at the back of the hall . There are also 75 dioramas of pre - independence rebellions , the seconds leading to the proclamation of independence , the national revolution , and military efforts after the revolution . The dioramas were created by craftsmen from Yogyakarta . Further exhibitions in the building are photographic . It also includes several war machines , mostly on the museum grounds . This includes the ship KRI " Pattimura " , which saw action in Papua ; aircraft such as the North American AT - 16 Harvard , North American B - 25 Mitchell , North American P - 51 Mustang , the old RI 001 presidential jet , and the Mil Mi - 4 helicopter ; and land machines such as tank s , ambulances , and a Willys MB belonging to Sudirman . Waspada Purbawisesa , a five - story pentagon - shaped museum houses diaromas and artefacts from military conflicts against Islamic groups , both conservative and extremist . It includes artefacts from the defeat of the Darul Islam revolt and dioramas of other military conflicts with Islamic groups .