KSAL: Fleet Jaya 2023 Exercise Focuses On Strategic Weapon Tests

KSAL Admiral TNI Muhammad Ali/ANTARA/Genta Tenri Mawangi.

JAKARTA - The Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy (Kasal) Admiral TNI Muhamamad Ali conveyed that the 2023 Fleet Jaya XLI training focused on testing the shooting of strategic weapons of the Indonesian Navy, including SSM Exocet Missile MM40 Block 3.

Admiral Ali said the missile was successfully fired during the Fleet Jaya training session in the Java Sea at the end of June (30/6).

"Regarding Fleet Jaya's training, the point is more focused on testing the shooting of strategic weapons, special weapons such as MM40 Block 3 missiles that we tested and Alhamdulilah succeeded in hitting the target," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Monday, July 3.

The series of Fleet Jaya exercises, which are the main exercises of the Indonesian Navy, took place in the last week of June 2023 in the waters of the Java Sea, Bali Sea, and near Asembagus, Situbondo, East Java.

The training session was divided into phases of the sea which took place on June 28'30, 2023, then amphibious landing by the Indonesian Navy Marines at Banongan Beach, Situbondo, East Java, on Saturday (1/6).

In a series of sea phases, the test-firing of the SSM Exocet MM40 Block 3 missile in the Java Sea was witnessed directly by the Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy Admiral Muhammad Ali who led the entire training and trial session of KRI Raden Eddy Martadinata-331 on Friday (30/6).

The missile was fired from KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai-332 led by the Commander of the Task Force (Dansatgas) Marine Colonel (P) Lukman Kharis to the target of KRI Karang Tekok-982 which has been retired by the Indonesian Navy in 2021.

SSM Exocet MM40 Block 3 is a missile made by MBDA, a French weapons company. The weapon has fire and forget capabilities, lasts all seasons (all-weather), high subsonic, sea-skimming, inertial navigation, active housing head, long-range missile), 360missile axes,no-go zone, coaltal line,littoral attack,horizontal waypoints, vertical waypoints, angular manoevre, proxy function, re-attack, search mode, masking, target priority, and research criterion.

The missile with a diameter of 0.35 meters with a length of 5.8 meters has a speed of up to 0.9 mach.

In the same exercise, Admiral Ali said that Fleet Jaya involved various elements of the Indonesian Navy's strength, starting from the sea, Marines, combat, and aircraft.

"Satuan dari Kolinlamila beberapa yang terlibat," kata Laksamana Ali.

There are at least 21 KRIs of various types, 10 aircraft units, 39 combat vehicles (ranpur), 40 tactical vehicles (rantis), and 20 units of Marine floating equipment (alpung).

The warships involved in the 2023 Jaya Fleet are KRI Alugoro-405, KRI Surabaya-591, KRI Teluk Banten-516, KRI Pulau Rengat-711, KRI Pulau Raas-722. The five KRIs are under the command of the Indonesian Navy's Joint Amphibious Task Command (Kogasgabfib).

Then, 13 KRIs from the Joint Marine Task Command (Kogaslagab), namely KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai-332, KRI John Lie-358, KRI Halim Perdanakusuma-355, KRI Sultan Hasanuddin-366, KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda-367, KRI Layang-635, KRI Halasan-630, KRI Tombak-629, KRI Sampari-628, KRI Kerambit-627, KRI Leuser-924, KRI Raden Eddy Martadinata-331, and KRI Sopitan-923.

In the same exercise, the air defense equipment deployed, namely aircraft (pesud) CN 235 220 P-8304, CN 235-220 P-8301, US Helicopter 565 MBe HS-1305, US Helicopter 565 MBe HS-1309, UAV Scan Eagle QR-7102/QR-7103, NC2-200 Aviocar U-6215, Helicopter Bell 412 HP HU-4203 which is "standby" in Surabaya, and Helicopter Bell 412 HP-HU 4206 which "standby" at amphibious landing sites in Banongan.

Fleet Jaya XLI 2023 was attended by 1,916 Indonesian Navy soldiers during the Command Post and 5,900 personnel during Field Manuver.