Indonesian Air Force And TUDM Discuss Air Patrol Cooperation Plan

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Air Force and the Malaysian Royal Air Force (TUDM) held a Malindo Siri I 2024 Coordination Meeting to discuss joint air patrol plans between the two countries.

Based on the official TNI AU press release uploaded on the @military.air account, Friday, the meeting was held in Penang, Malaysia, from 6 to 8 May 2024.

The meeting was attended by the Indonesian Air Force delegation led by Colonel Pnb Nana Rusmana and Aviation Colonel Ahmad Edros from TUDM as representatives from Malaysia.

How many points of cooperation were discussed in the meeting, one of which was joint air patrols and exchanging information to increase the effectiveness of Indonesia and Malaysia's air surveillance.

Several cooperation decisions have also been made, one of which is a joint air patrol plan which is scheduled to last for three days from 20 to 22 May 2024.

The patrol, still based on a press statement, will involve F-16 fighter aircraft from the 16th Air Squadron Roesmin Nurjadin Air Base, Riau, and F-18 fighter aircraft from the 18th TUDM Squadron.

With this cooperation in the field of patrols, the Indonesian Air Force hopes that Indonesian and Malaysian airspace will be maintained from attacks by foreign countries.

Cooperation in the military sector between Indonesia and Malaysia has been launched since April 2024 when Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto held a state meeting with Malaysian Defense Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

During the meeting, which was the first time for Khaled Nordin since he served as Minister of Defense of Malaysia, Prabowo also emphasized the special RI-Malaysia relationship considering that both of them are countries that both come from the Malay family.

"Congratulations on the appointment of His Majesty Datuk Seri Mohamed Nordin as Malaysia's new Minister of Defense. The Indonesian Ministry of Defense is ready to cooperate with the Malaysian Ministry of Defense and provide support for His Majesty Datuk Seri Mohamed Nordin," Prabowo told the Malaysian Defense Minister, as reported by Antara.

He explained that Indonesia and Malaysia have been establishing close cooperation in various fields, including defense, which includes the education of cadets and officers, intelligence, trade, defense and security industries.

However, Prabowo believes there is a lot of cooperation that can be expanded and deepened between Indonesia and Malaysia.