The Drone War and Indonesia's Readiness

Indonesia still needs to pursue unmanned aircraft ("drone") technology as part of the country's defense system.

KOMPAS/ADRYAN YOGA PARAMADWYA

Visitors observe drones produced by Inaero on display at the Indonesia Research and Innovation Expo (InaRI Expo) at KST Soekarno, Cibinong, Bogor, West Java, Thursday (21/9/2023).

The use of unmanned aircraft (drones) in the military world a> is becoming increasingly used as a weapon or part of the country's defense.

Conflicts in the Middle East (Russia-Ukraine and Iran-Israel) are the stage for the presence of dronein the eyes world. The government needs to be serious about research, development and procurement of drones for national defense.

In a number of mass media reports it was stated that Iran used at least 200 Shahed-136 drones. However, a number of Israeli media reported that Iran launched the Shahed-238 drone with a jet engine. Drone The Shahed-238 is claimed to be able to travel three times faster than the Shahed-136s or the development version of the Shahed-136 type.

Citing analysis from Iran's Ashura University of Aerospace Sciences and Technologies, the Shahed-238 drone is capable of reaching speeds of 402-599 kilometers per hour because it is supported by eight actuators which increase stability and reliable maneuverability.

Shahed-238 is equipped with a radar guidance head that functions as an analogy to anti-radar missiles that target emissions from search radar. According to some observers, it is this feature that enables Shahed-238 to neutralize and penetrate Israeli airspace.

Unmanned aircraft equipped with assault rifles have also been used by Israel when attacking Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis on January 19th, 2024.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

Drone pilot certification training participants fly drones in a practical exam session at the Iswahjudi Air Force Air Base complex, Madiun, East Java, Saturday (29/1/2022).

The Palestinian Red Crescent accused Israel of committing a crime war for attacking displaced civilians. However, Israel claims the city as Hamas' main base.

During the Russia-Ukraine conflict that began in 2022, both countries useddrones, both as a means of reconnaissance and attack.

Ukraine used the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drone during the conflict, while Russia used the Iranian-made Shahed-136. However, the main function of drones in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is likely to be reconnaissance, especially observing enemy artillery positions.

The use ofdronehas been a part of warfare since the 19th century, starting when the Austrians used pilotless hot air balloons to bomb Venice.

The development of unmanned aerial vehicles, as currently operated, began after the Wright brothers demonstrated powered flight with the first remote-controlled aircraft developed during World War 1.

The term drone was used after the British developed the Queen Bee, a bi-plane that was modified to be controlled via radio from the ground.

During the cold war, drones were rarely relied on because they were small and expensive. A pilot must be within range of an analog radio signal to fly a drone while sitting in a nearby manned aircraft.

Of course, drone pilots at that time died more often because they were monitored by a network of satellites and much more sophisticated supersonic manned spy planes, such as the U-2 and SR-71 Blackbird.

The origins of the drones orbiting today's battlefields can be seen in three major technological leaps. First, in the 1970s, the development of aircraft with very long and thin wings began to be developed so that they could hold the aircraft at altitude for more than 24 hours of flight. Durability has become the "standard" for modern drones that are popular, such as the General Atomics Reaper drone produced in the US.

The second technological leap occurred when drones were able to use transmitters to send live (real time) recordings to controllers at headquarters. This technology was used by NATO in the Yugoslav war and ended with the Dayton Agreement. At this stage, drone no longer uses radio transmitter waves, but is transmitted via a satellite network.

This is what then inspired the US to take the third leap by installing missiles on drones in the 2000s. These hunting drones are controlled by satellites and allow pilots to control their aircraft from other parts of the world.

The development ofdrone technologyand its production occurred on a large scale under the administration of President Barack Obama, which was then continued in the era of President Donald Trump.

Also read: Ignoring UN Urges, Israel Considers Responding to Iran's Attack

Indonesia's "Drone" Readiness

Through the Research and Development of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, the discourse to seriously work on drones as part of the defense system has started since 2017.

The Rajawali 720 is the first domestically made drone that functions as a surveillance aircraft and is equipped with a camera that produces images or video. This aircraft can also fly to a height of up to 8,000 meters and a speed of up to 135 kilometers per hour.

As a further step, the Indonesian Ministry of Defense also appointed nine companies that are members of domestic strategic industries to develop drones in the future.

The Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (Lapan), and several universities, are among the nine industries that are expected to be able to produce drones for military purposes in Indonesia.

At least, until now, the TNI has a number of drones which have been introduced to the public. For example, the Schiebel Camcopter S-100 made in Austria is owned by the Indonesian Navy Aviation Center (Puspenerbal). The Schiebel Camcopter S-100 is claimed to be capable of flying for up to 10 hours and has a maximum speed of up to 220 kilometers per hour with a maximum flying height of 5,500 meters.

Next there is the US-made ScanEagle which is claimed to be able to fly as high as 5,943 meters and stay in the air for 24 hours.

Apart from that, there is the CH-4 made in China which is a medium altitude long endurance (MALE) combat drone with a Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) satellite. Lastly, the domestic product is called the Black Elang with the MALE type and is capable of flying at an altitude of around 9,000 meters.

Elang Hitam was designed and built by a consortium of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Ministry of Defense, TNI AU, PT Dirgantara Indonesia, and PT Len Industri. In September 2022, BRIN officially transferred the Black Eagle combatant drone project from a military platform to a civilian version.

However, in the opinion of a researcher at the Indonesian Institute for Defense and Strategic Studies, Beni Sukadis, the development of unmanned aircraft in Indonesia is not yet optimal and still needs a long time to improve its capabilities. National drone development is considered to focus more on aspects of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) (Kompas, 14 April 2024 ).

In fact, the intelligence and surveillance function is the lowest capability of the use of drones because this function is limited to gathering information with photographic capabilities and mapping in enemy territory.

So far, the defense of the country can still rely on the strength of the Indonesian Air Force, which has two unmanned aircraft squadrons in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, and Natuna. According to the plan, the Air Force will also add two more squadrons in Tarakan, North Kalimantan, and Malang, East Java.

Meanwhile, for anti-drone, the Indonesian Army's Air Defense Artillery has Grom missiles and the Indonesian Navy has a fleet of Misral frigates. Both Grom and Mistral are in the SHORAD category, light missiles for short-range targets. For the launch system, the Indonesian Navy has a Mistral with two platforms, namely Tetral and Simbad.

If Simbad is operated manually by an operator, Tetral can be operated from the combat information center. The Indonesian Navy's Escort Ship Unit has four ships equipped with corvette units to launch Mistral Tetral missiles. These are KRI Diponegoro 365, KRI Hasanuddin 366, KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda 367, and KRI Frans Kaisiepo 368.

Also read: The Role of Drones is Increasingly Strategic for Defense

Enter the plan

Serious planning in the development of unmanned aircraft is an implementation of Ministry of Defense Regulation Number 12 of 2021 concerning the Policy for the Implementation of National Defense from 2020-2024.

Point H states that the Defense Industry Institution has the authority and responsibility in improving the air defense capabilities to protect the national airspace, including the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and Air Defense Identification System (ADIS) in Indonesia.

The TNI's ability to adapt to military technology, such as the use of drones, is also emphasized in the Archipelago Defense Strategy.

It is stated that adapting weapon technology systems is important in maintaining the Outermost Defense Line (the first layer outside the EEZ) and the Main Defense Line (the second layer outside the EEZ). Considering that most of Indonesia's territorial borders are surrounded by waters, defense measures in these two lines become a crucial aspect of national defense.

KOMPAS/ADRYAN YOGA PARAMADWYA

Visitors observed unmanned aircraft at one of the booths during the Festival of Environment, Climate, Forestry, and New Renewable Energy (LIKE) at the Indonesia Arena, Gelora Bung Karno Complex, Jakarta, on Sunday (17/9/2023).

The Indonesian Ministry of Defense also continues to push for cooperation between higher education institutions and the defense industry to carry out the necessary research, development, and engineering activities.

The synergy to build the national defense industry is what is referred to as the Triple Helix concept. In the process, this synergy is claimed to have successfully produced unmanned aircraft and submarines.

However, it seems that the government's focus is still on procurement of defense equipment while waiting for development from local industry.

The procurement of drone and anti-drone is included in the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan (Renstra). By looking at the progress of drone technology in current inter-state conflicts, Indonesia still needs to be serious and committed to developing drones. (R&D COMPAS)

Also read: Iran's Combat “Drones” Versus Israel's Layered Defense