War planes to test radar in Bintan
Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Batam
Four Air Force Hawk-200 jet fighters are flying the skies around
Batam to test the feasibility of a new early-warning radar system,
an Indonesian officer says.
Commander of Tanjung Pinang Air Base operations Maj. Bima Aryasena
said the radar system in Bintan was set up to detect foreign
aircraft entering the country's air space.
The three-day test is being conducted by 13 aviators of the Supadio
Air Force Squadron in Kalimantan and started on Tuesday.
Bima said the test was intended to check what extent the new radar
could cover its surrounding area.
To test the equipment, which was designed to detect flying objects
at a range of around 330 kilometers, the jets would fly at a height
of 25,000 feet, he said.
Squadron commander Maj. Minggit Triwibowo said testing the radar
would also help general efforts to measure the effectiveness of
Indonesia's border defenses.
The Air Force has long asked for the establishment of radar units
in three main border areas, after criticism of Indonesia's
early-warning system.
Radars in Biak and Tanjung Pinang are expected to be operational
this year; one in Timika will be ready in 2007; with another in
Merauke to go online in 2008.
Haran Pasaribu, an employee of the Hang Nadim Airport in Batam,
said the test was being conducted in coordination with Changi
Airport in Singapore.
The war planes' flights would affect the air traffic in the city
state, which is located about 20 kilometers from Batam, he
said.
The planes would also temporarily slow air traffic at Hang Nadim,
where many haj pilgrims are leaving for Mecca," Haran said.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnational.asp?fileid=20061213.G08&irec=7
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