Super Garuda Shield Military Exercise 2022: There's A Black Hornet, An Unmanned Reconnaissance Plane The Size Of A Dragonfly

TNI Commander General Andika Perkasa inspects troops involved in the 2022 Super Garuda Shield military exercise in Amborawang, Samboja, East Kalimantan. (Between)

JAKARTA - The opportunity for a joint exercise entitled Super Garuda Shield 2022 between Indonesian Army soldiers and the United States Army is used to practice the use of various equipment and weapons for both parties.

At the Amborawang Combat Training Center, Samboja, 50 km north of Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, United States Army personnel displayed a UAV or drone as a means of reconnaissance and early warning, in miniature. inches and less than 10 cm long, called the Black Hornet. It looks like a dragonfly and is used for reconnaissance.

With a high resolution but mini camera, a Black Hornet can infiltrate enemy territory without being caught and lurk even in the dark.

There are also larger UAVs that can carry weapons. "The TNI already has all of this equipment," said TNI Commander General Andika Perkasa, last weekend, quoted by Antara.

One Black Hornet costs up to Rp250 million, and has been in the TNI weapon system since 2021.

Before practicing combat in the field, the soldiers followed the material delivered indoors for four days. Previously, the MILES vest was also introduced to protect personnel from bullets and deadly hard/sharp objects to a certain extent.

In this combat training, the soldiers are equipped with sensors in their weapons and attached to their respective uniforms. Then the soldier who was hit by the shot then the sensor in his body would make a sound or turn on the light.

"This is a system to make the exercises feel realistic even though the bullets (used) are not live bullets," said Perkasa, who also ordered soldiers to interact with each other to get to know each other better.

The exercise will last until August 14, which also involves 150 soldiers of the 623th Infantry Battalion/Bhakti Wira Buana and 173 soldiers of the United States Army.

The 2022 Super Garuda Shield joint exercise in Amborawang is one of the three joint training locations, in addition to Batu Raja, South Sumatra, and Dabo Singkep, Jambi.