Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) and Royal Australian Air Force personnel built strong networks during Exercise Rajawali Ausindo 2024 at Adisutjipto Air Force Base in Indonesia during September.
Conducting exchanges between subject matter experts, rigging cargo together and sharing airdrop experiences, 37 Squadron strengthened the defence relationship with Indonesia.
Rajawali Ausindo is an air mobility training exercise involving the squadron’s C-130J Hercules, and planning and conduct of airdrop training and tactical flying, according to loadmaster Corporal Natashia Jorgensen.
“Being some of our closest neighbours, our partnership and interoperability with the TNI-AU is something we value greatly,” Corporal Jorgensen said.
“It has been great learning different techniques and sharing experiences with our TNI-AU friends.”
The exercise was a fantastic opportunity for Indonesian and Australian personnel to enhance relationships and build shared capability, including 176 Air Dispatch Squadron from the Australian Army.
Not only for aircrew, the C-130J ground technicians also developed their integration and understanding between their TNI-AU counterparts, Sergeant James O’Dea explained.
“We had very open and informative discussions with the Indonesian maintenance team; they are looking for solutions to mutual issues regarding their new C-130J aircraft,” Sergeant O’Dea said.
“The benefit for our team is the experience of engaging with foreign partners and working with interpreters to make sure our combined outcomes are achieved.”
Australia and Indonesia have regularly conducted Exercise Rajawali Ausindo since 1994, with hosting responsibilities shared between the countries.
It is part of a series of bilateral exercises conducted by both air forces, providing an opportunity for aviator-level engagement and knowledge exchange.
Captain Dolfo from TNI-AU’s 31st Air Squadron said he had learnt a lot from the subject matter expert talks and Rajawali Ausindo activities overall.
“We shared information about tactical missions, such as heavy and light airdrops and container delivery systems, discussing both Australian and Indonesian experiences,” Captain Dolfo said.
“It is important to exchange knowledge in order to learn and build capacity.”
