F-16 Fighter Fighters Fight Falcon To Secure ASEAN Summit, TNI AU Mainstay Fleet

Indonesian fighter F-16 (photo from Antara)

YOGYAKARTA - F-16 fighter aircraft will be operated to maintain security at the ASEAN Summit (KTT) which will be held in Labuan Bajo, NTT, on May 9-11, 2022. What is the sophistication of the F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft like?

"Air Squadron 14 is assigned as an element of ambush under the Operations Control (BKO) of the TNI Headquarters who are members of the Task Force, led by Pangkoopsud II," said Indan Gilang Buldansyah, Head of the Indonesian Air Force's Management Service (Kadispenau) Marsma TNI, in his statement, Monday (8/5/2023).

Indan said the F-16 ambush element was divided into two home bases, namely the El Tari Kupang Air Base by Skadud 14 and Iswahjudi Magetan Air Base by Skadud 3. So what is the sophistication of the F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft run to secure the ASEAN Summit?

The F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet has a price of around US$64 million. If you use a dollar exchange rate of Rp. 15,200, the price of the fighter aircraft is almost Rp. 1 trillion.

At fantastic prices, F-16 fighter aircraft are equipped with advanced features that support the Indonesian Air Force in carrying out airway military operations. The following are advanced features in F-16 fighter jets:

In the role of air combat, the maneuverability and combat radius of the F-16 (distance it can fly into air combat, defense, combat, and return) exceeds all potential threats of fighter aircraft.

The sophistication helps the aircraft find targets in all weather conditions and detect low aircraft in radar interference. In the air-to-surface role, the F-16 can fly more than 500 miles (860 kilometers), deliver its weapons with high accuracy, defend itself from enemy aircraft, and return to its starting point. Any weather capability allows it to deliver weaponry accurately during non-visual bombing conditions.

In designing the F-16, advanced aerospace science and proven reliable systems of other aircraft such as the F-15 and the F-111 were selected. It is combined to simplify the aircraft and reduce the size, purchase price, maintenance costs, and weight.

The light weight of the fuselage was achieved without reducing its strength. With a full charge of internal fuel, the F-16 can withstand up to nine G's nine times the gravitational force that exceeds the capabilities of other fighters today.

The cockpit and bubble canopy give the pilot an unobstructed forward and upward view, and much better vision to the side and back. The seat propagation angle is expanded from typically 13 degrees to 30 degrees, increasing pilot comfort and gravitational force tolerance. The pilot has excellent F-16 flight control through the "fly-by-wire" system.

The aircraft carries out an order for electric cable relays, replacing usual cables and connection controls. For easy and accurate aircraft control during high G-force combat maneuvers, the side stick controller is used as a substitute for a conventional stick mounted in the middle. Hand pressure on the side stick controller sends an electric signal to flight control surface actuators such as aileron and Rudder.

The avionic system includes a highly accurate global position-determining system and inertial navigation, or EGI, where the computer provides pilot steering information. The aircraft has UHF radio and VHF plus instrument landing systems.

The aircraft also has a modular warning and control pod system to use against the electronic threat of air or surface. The fuselage has room for additional avionic systems.

Such is the review of the sophistication of the F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft. Strict security is applied to oversee the ASEAN Summit because this event will be attended by 8 state leaders and one prime minister and Secretary General of ASEAN.