Australia and Indonesia will conduct bilateral air mobility training at RAAF Base Townsville for Exercise Rajawali Ausindo from 25 to 29 September 2022.
The exercise will involve a C-130H Hercules transport aircraft from the Indonesian Air Force (Tentara Nasional Indonesia – Angatan Udara, or TNI-AU), and a C-27J Spartan from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
This year will be the first time the C-27J is participating in Exercise Rajawali Ausindo, providing TNI-AU with a valuable insight to how the aircraft can support disaster relief operations within the region.
Wing Commander David Torrington, Commanding Officer of the RAAF’s No. 35 Squadron, said air mobility was important to both countries when responding to emergencies.
“Both our countries have a long history of using air mobility to conduct humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in the wider Indo-Pacific,” Wing Commander Torrington said.
“Exercise Rajawali Ausindo 22 will allow Indonesian and Australian aviators to understand each other’s practices, plan air mobility missions together, and fly in a range of scenarios.
“The training and relationship building in this exercise will benefit the RAAF and TNI-AU when we conduct operations together in the future.”
Mission scenarios during Exercise Rajawali Ausindo 22 will include aerial delivery of supplies and cargo to a drop zone, and rehearsal of non-combatant evacuation operations.
Responsibility for hosting Exercise Rajawali Ausindo has been shared since it began in 1994, with the previous exercise conducted in Indonesia in 2018.
