Bordering 2 Countries, El Tari Air Base Kupang Is Prepared To Be A Home Base For Combat Planes

Crew of Indonesian fighter aircraft type F-16 from Squadron 3 directed the F-16 plane when it arrived at El Tari Air Base Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, Saturday (03/8/2024)./DOC ANTARA

JAKARTA - Commander of the Air Operations Command (Pangkoopsud) II Marsda TNI Dr. Budhi Achmadi said the El Tari Kupang Air Base (Lanud), East Nusa Tenggara in the long term was prepared to become a home base for fighter aircraft because it borders the two countries. "For the long term, we will likely allocate a budget for the placement of fighter aircraft here," he told reporters in Kupang, Antara, Sunday, August 4. This was conveyed by him during his working visit to Kupang City, the capital city of East Nusa Tenggara Province to inspect El Tari Kupang Air Base and also to hold various social activities. El Tari Air Base itself is now bordering two countries, both with Timor Leste and with Australia. Currently, the Indonesian Air Force has the Radar Unit 226 Buraen Headquarters, Kupang Regency. Buraen radar itself is considered the eyes of Indonesia in the border sky between Timor Leste Indonesia and Indonesia Australia. According to him, making El Tari Air Base a Home Base for fighter aircraft certainly requires a large budget. "Because it's back again we will adjust it to the existing budget," he said. Because he continued that the speed in the development would be adjusted to the existing budget. The Commander of the El Tari Air Base (Lanud) Kupang, First Marshal of the TNI, Djoko Hadipurwanto, was interviewed some time ago and also said that the air base was ready to welcome the arrival of air defense support facilities considering that it borders Timor Leste and Australia. Danlanud said this was related to the development of the El Tari Air Base in the future when the age of the Indonesian Air Force had entered 78 years, especially since El Tari Air Base was in the border area between the two countries. El Tari Air Base, he said, is an important point in border areas. Air defenses in such border areas play an important role in protecting border areas.

"Parana and infrastructure are sufficient to support the operation of the fighter aircraft here," said the one-star commander.