Penerbang TNI AD Mulai Dilatih Terbangkan Heli Tempur Apache
Indonesian Army Aviators Starts Training Apache Helicopter
Reporter : Gusmiati Waris
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
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Semarang (B2B) - TNI Angkatan Darat mulai melatih pilot yang akan menerbangkan helikopter tempur Apache sebagai salah satu kesiapan sebelum kedatangan alat tempur asal Amerika Serikat itu pada 2017.
"Delapan Apache keseluruhannya baru akan tiba pada 2017," kata Kepala Staf TNI Angkatan Darat Jenderal Budiman usai kunjungan di Pangkalan TNI Angkatan Darat Bandara Ahmad Yani Semarang, Kamis.
Tahun ini, lanjut dia, para pilot yang akan menerbangkan heli tempur tersebut akan dilatih bekerja sama dengan Amerika Serikat.
Untuk latihan tersebut, Indonesia akan memperoleh pinjaman heli. "Ini kan heli canggih, jadi harus dilatih dahulu," katanya.
Jika telah tiba di Indonesia, kata dia, heli tempur yang menjadi bagian dari penguatan alat utama sistem pertahanan tersebut akan ditempatkan sebagian di Natuna.
"Akan ditempatkan di Natuna, cadangannya di Jakarta," kata dia.
Untuk seluruh alutsista baru, Budiman mengatakan sebagian besar belum datang ke Indonesia. Dia memperkirakan sebagian alat tempur akan datang pada Oktober 2014.
"Diperkirakan pada Oktober 2014, mudah-mudahan lebih dari separuh sudah datang," katanya.
Semarang (B2B) - The Indonesian army had started the pilot training to fly the Apache AH-64E, the combat helicopters that were bought from the United States, prior to their arrival in 2017.
"Apache is a sophisticated helicopter, so we have to train the pilots prior to their arrival in 2017," the Army Chief of Staff, General Budiman, said at the Ahmad Yani Armys Base Force in Semarang, Central Java, on Thursday.
Indonesia had bought eight Apache helicopters of the type AH-64E from the United States as part of the program to strengthen the nations primary weapons defense system.
Budiman said during the training, the United States will lend a few Apache helicopters to train the Indonesian pilots.
Half of the Apache helicopters that were bought would be placed in Natuna Islands, while the others will be stationed in Jakarta.
Indonesia also bought 114 units of Leopard Tank, 28 units of carrier helicopters, 37 units of Caesar Cannon, 13 units of MLRS Astros II Rocket and a few air defense missiles from Starstreak and Mistral.
"We expect more than half of those military purchases to arrive before October 2014," Budiman said.
