INDONESIAN AIRFORCE HELICOPTERS ROLE DURING SEARCH AND RERCUE OPERATION

by Maj DJP. “Dompak” Hutagalung; EAP Course Batch-3

      Helicopter is one of the four main components in Indonesian Air Force (IDAF) aircraft beside fighter, transport, and UAV, which has some special tasks in air operations. According to its role, IDAF as air power has obligations to conduct military operations on war (MOW) and military operations other than war (MOTW) (Mabesau, 2019)[1]. One of the important tasks in MOTW during peace-time is to implement standby Search and Rescue (SAR) at each fighter air base, to support fighter training and operation. However, most of the time when carrying out standby SAR operation, the helicopter pilots just stay on the ground and wait until fighter exercise are finished. After that they can do flying for training.

          According to the Provisional International Civil Aviation Organization (PICAO), article in the Air Sea Rescue Bulletin defined SAR as the action of seeking and bringing back the casualties due to an emergency accident to safety area. More contemporary references, from The International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue (IAMSAR) Manual (1999) state that “search” is an operation to find casualties in emergencies using man-power and equipment, and “rescue” is an operation to recapture casualties in emergency, furnish them with life support equipment, and return them to a safe place (Cooper, 2005)[2]. Furthermore, SAR operation is part of air power utilized during air operation. The definition air power from Air Marshal R. J. Armitage and Air Vice Marshal R. A. Mason, they thought that a platform in the third dimension above the surface and earth to be used by the capability of military force projection (Clodfelter, 2006)[3].

        If we look at the recent condition of IDAF, I believe that IDAF helicopters is not necessary to do standby SAR operation at each fighter air base. It may be true that SAR operation by helicopter is part of IDAF “Swa Bhuwana Paksa” doctrine. However, there are some disadvantages if we have to “stand by” or just wait at air bases. Firstly, the total number of IDAF helicopters are limited, so we should manage them effectively for operation or training. Secondly, IDAF has some special training and operation that require helicopter as main component, on the contrary standby SAR operation make helicopter just stay on the ground without doing anything.

Briefing latihan SAR

          IDAF has some standard operational procedures to implement air operations, especially SAR operation. First, Air Operation Doctrine at OMSP says that SAR operation is part of Air Special Operation (Mabesau, 2019)[4]. In addition, The IDAF Chief of Staff policy, explains that during fighter training or operation, it should be backed up with one helicopter. However, both of them do not arrange in detail how to conduct a SAR operation. The doctrines also do not regulate whether the helicopter should standby at each fighter air base or not. Therefore, there are still space to modify how to carry out SAR operation without standby beforehand.

          The recent condition of IDAF helicopters number are limited, therefore effectiveness is an important key. IDAF has varieties of helicopter such as EC120B Colibri from 7 Squadron, NAS 332 Super Puma from 6 Squadron, and EC725 Caracal from 8 Squadron. Unfortunately, the combat readiness of each squadron is limited (Mabesau, 2023)[5]. Every helicopters have endurance approximately 3 hours. Besides that, average speed all of them around 100 kts, it means each helicopter is able to reach 100 Nm within 1 hour, and 300 Nm within 3 hours (Airbus Helicopter, 2010)[6]. That is why, not every single fighter air base should be supported by standby helicopter intact, especially for the fighter air bases that are not far away from another airbase. In this case, Adisutjipto (ADI), Iswahjudi (IWJ), and Abdulrahman Saleh (ABD) air force base can be good examples. The distance between ADI with IWJ around 60 Nm and ABD with IWJ around 80 Nm. It means we only need under 1 hour to arrive at ADI or ABD, if we deploy a helicopter from IWJ. The conclusion is, 1 helicopter is enough to back up 3 air bases simultaneously if we put it at IWJ AFB as a centre base.

evakuasi pilot Susi Air

          In addition, I believe that the current IDAF standby SAR operation does not meet the characteristics of air power, which are mobility and range coverage (Mabesau, 2019)[7]. However, these two features seem not effectively applicable during standby SAR operation recently. In consequence, if we want to optimize helicopter utilization in the future, we need to determine standby SAR operation with a certain covering range according to the endurance of helicopter. There is one good example case from a helicopter crash accident in Jambi province in early 2023. IDAF did a quick response by sending NAS-332 Super Puma helicopter form Roesmin Nurdjadin AFB to Jambi, which took around 2 hours in flight time. Even though there is no standby helicopter in Jambi at the time, we could move helicopter from other certain places and saved the casualties on time (Antara Jambi, 2023)[8].

          Furthermore, IDAF helicopters have other important trainings and air operations beside SAR operation (Mabesau, 2019)[9]. Therefore, if we can reduce the number of helicopters for standby SAR operation in some air bases, it will increase the combat readiness of helicopter. Some crucial operations have been carried out for a couple years such as border security and vulnerable area security task force (Setiawan, 2018). IDAF helicopter has an important role during this operation such as transferring logistics and personnel from a safe zone to behind enemy lines, and moving civilian and military victims from a conflict zone to safe area, for example, in Papua where there is a conflict with one of the local armed criminal groups led by Egianus Kogoya (Pen Lanud Tmk, 2023)[10].

Dukungan logistik korban gempa Cianjur

          On the other hand, IDAF helicopters also conduct some important missions. Some of them are training with the special forces such as hoisting, rappelling, fast trooping, even rocketing and gunnery that cannot be held in air bases where helicopters do standby SAR operation, for example, an annual exercise conducted with the name code “Manyar Terampil” (Pen Lanud Ats, 2023)[11]. In the worst case, sometimes the training must be postponed or even cancelled due to the unreadiness of the helicopter. Whereas, those exercises have a substantial influence on military operation in the future.

          To conclude, I argue that IDAF helicopters do not need to standby in fighter air bases during SAR operation. Although SAR operation has become an air operation in IDAF Swa Bhuana Paksa and Air Operation during MOTW Doctrines, moreover the IDAF Chief of Staff has implemented a policy of backing up fighter in each air base. I strongly believe that at least there are two disadvantages of the mentioned mission. The first is that the IDAF helicopter number is limited currently, therefore some of fighter air bases are still reachable with one helicopter. Critical thinking is needed, thus IDAF should optimize the air power characteristics that belong to helicopter. Secondly, IDAF has many prominent trainings and operations that involve helicopter as a main component. If we can reduce the amount of unit helicopter which perform standby SAR operation, it means that we can increase helicopter readiness for other air operations and specific trainings, which are more important to support IDAF duty right now and in the future. As a recommendation, standby SAR operations are intended to be carried out with the goal of covering an area objectively.  

References

Airbus Helicopter. (2010). Flight Manual EC 120 B. In Limitation. Airbus Helicopter.

Antara Jambi. (2023, February 20). Helikopter TNI AU didatangkan dari Pekan Baru bantu evakuasi Kapolda Jambi. Retrieved from Jambi.antaranews.com: https://jambi.antaranews.com/berita/539628/helikopter-tni-au-didatangkan-dari-pekan-baru-bantu-evakuasi-kapolda-jambi

Clodfelter, M. (2006). The Limits of Air Power. Nebraska: Free Press, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Cooper, D. C. (2005). Fundamental of Search and Rescue. Sudbury, Mass. : Jones and Bartlett.

Mabesau. (2019, Desember 16). Doktrin Operasi Udara Dalam Pelaksanaan Operasi Militer Selain Perang. DKI Jakarta: Mabesau.

Mabesau. (2019, Mei 22). Doktrin TNI ANgkatan Udara Swa Bhuana Paksa. DKI Jakarta: Mabesau.

Mabesau. (2023, March 24). Sasaran Pembinaan Kemampuan Operasi TNI AU Anggaran 2023. Jakarta: Mabesau.

Pen Lanud Ats. (2023, March 9). Manuver Lapangan Latihan Manyar Terampil 2023. Retrieved from tni-au.mil.id: https://tni-au.mil.id/manuver-lapangan-latihan-manyar-terampil-2023/

Pen Lanud Tmk. (2023, February 20). Heli Caracal TNI AU Bersama Tim Gabungan TNI/Polri Evakuasi 18 Masyarakat Alama Nduga. Retrieved from tni-au.mil.id: https://tni-au.mil.id/heli-caracal-tni-au-bersama-tim-gabungan-tnipolri/

Setiawan, T. O. (2018). The Role of The 8th Air Squadron of The Indonesian Air Force in Conducting Pacification Operations in Areas of Indonesia Thar are of Vulnerable to Threats. Jurnal Strategi Pertahanan Udara, 1-18.

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[1] Markas Besar Angatan Udara. Doktrin TNI Angkatan Udara Swa Bhuana Paksa. p 39-40.

[2] Donald C. Cooper, (2005). Fundamentals of Search and Rescue. National Association for Search and Rescue, Inc. Centreville-Virginia. p 2.

[3] Clodfelter, M. (2006). The Limits of Air Power. Nebraska: Free Press, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. p 212.

[4] Markas Besar Angatan Udara. Doktrin Operasi Udara Dalam Operasi Militer Selain Perang. p 11.

[5] Mabesau. (2023, March 24). Sasaran Pembinaan Kemampuan Operasi TNI AU Anggaran 2023. Jakarta. Lampiran B.

[6] Airbus Helicopter. (2010). Flight Manual EC 120 B. In Limitation. Section 2-4.

[7] Markas Besar Angatan Udara. Doktrin TNI Angkatan Udara Swa Bhuana Paksa. p 22.

[8] Antara Jambi. (2023, February 20). Helikopter TNI AU didatangkan dari Pekan Baru bantu evakuasi Kapolda Jambi. Retrieved from Jambi.antaranews.com

[9] Mabesau. (2019, Mei 22). Doktrin TNI ANgkatan Udara Swa Bhuana Paksa. DKI Jakarta: Mabesau. p 25-28.

[10] Pen Lanud Tmk. (2023, February 20). Heli Caracal TNI AU Bersama Tim Gabungan TNI/Polri Evakuasi 18 Masyarakat Alama Nduga. TNI-AU.mil.id

[11] Pen Lanud Ats. (2023, March 9). Manuver Lapangan Latihan Manyar Terampil 2023. TNI-AU.mil.id.

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