A small number of Indonesian T-50 advance jet trainers are training in Darwin this month, marking the first time the unit has taken part in Exercise Pitch Black and the first time it has deployed to Australia at all. Squadron 15, based at Iswahjudi Air Base in Madiun, East Java, brought fifteen pilots for the exercise, flying two sorties a day during last week’s force integration phase, a number set to rise to four sorties daily over the next two weeks as the exercise enters its force employment phase.
Among them is Lieutenant Colonel Argantara Heli K., callsign Reptile, who has flown with the squadron since 2010. He said the deployment is a milestone for the unit, explaining that Indonesia operates a multi-platform air force in which squadrons are given the chance, on rotation, to take part in international exercises. This year was Squadron 15’s turn.
The squadron is flying primarily in a strike role, taking part in scenarios that mix both red and blue forces, though Reptile noted the unit is not currently integrated into the networked systems used by some other participants. All flying by the Indonesians so far has been scheduled during daylight hours, in line with the current flight plan.
Squadron 15 flies the T-50, not the more heavily armed FA-50 variant that some other operators use. Asked whether that puts his unit at a disadvantage, Reptile pushed back on the idea. The T-50 may be a lighter aircraft on paper, he said, but in practice its capability matches the FA-50, and he believes it allows the squadron to meet the exercise’s requirements precisely and safely.
He was also asked what will become of the T-50 fleet once Indonesia’s planned M346F aircraft enter service. He declined to go into detail, citing security considerations, but said the T-50 is used as a lead-in trainer for fighter pilots in Indonesia and expects it will continue serving that role for the next few years.
Indonesia is not alone in flying the T-50 in the region. Reptile pointed out that the Philippines and Thailand operate the same aircraft. Squadron 15 trained alongside the Royal Thai Air Force last year at Exercise Elang ThaiNesia, and this trip to Darwin marks its first opportunity to train alongside the Philippines, an exchange he described as a chance to trade tactics and experience with aircraft the squadron knows well.
Reptile’s own path to the cockpit runs through a family with deep air force ties, though not as pilots. His grandparents served in the air force, as did his parents, mostly in technical and logistics roles. He is the first pilot in the family, and he said it has become his honor to hold that distinction.