Indonesian Air Force pilots hone skills to land on aircraft carrier
Indonesian Air Force helicopter pilots are honing their ability to land and take off from the aircraft carrier ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi, which is set to be renamed KRI Gajah Mada.
In an official press release issued on Friday, the Air Force stated that the integrated exercise with the Army and Navy was held in Surabaya from Tuesday (25/8) to Wednesday (26/8).
The integrated Ship Boarding Operation (SBO) exercise is part of a series of activities commemorating the TNI anniversary, while also supporting readiness for the Naval Parade agenda and the inauguration of the Garibaldi carrier, which is planned to be renamed KRI Gajah Mada.
Head of the Air Force Information Service, Air Commodore I Nyoman Suadnyana, explained that the Air Force deployed an H-3218 helicopter from Air Squadron 6 for the exercise.
Nyoman said the exercise began with classroom activities and ground school at Air Squadron 400 of the Navy Aviation Centre (Puspenerbal).
“This stage provides pilots with instruction on procedures, techniques, and safety aspects of ship-based helicopter operations,” Nyoman said.
After completing the theoretical briefing, the activity continued with take-off and landing practice using a helideck simulator and a replica flight deck of the Giuseppe Garibaldi aircraft carrier.
“The simulation exercise is a stage to build pilot readiness before carrying out landings on the actual ship,” he added.
After completing the briefing and simulation stages, the pilots then conducted take-off and landing exercises on a real warship, KRI Makassar, moored at Batoe Poron Pier in Madura, East Java.
Nyoman said the entire exercise ran smoothly and safely. Through this training, he hopes the skills of Air Force helicopter pilots will be further sharpened and remain relevant to combat operations involving aircraft carriers.
“Mastery of Ship Board Operations is one form of Air Force readiness in supporting integrated joint operations in accordance with future task demands,” he explained.