Kopasgat Wingsuit Troops, Silent Knights, New Rulers of the Air

Through the Kopasgat Wingsuit Troops, everyone finally understands that combat vehicles aren't necessary to be masters of the air.

With F-16s, Sukhois, and Hawk 100s as their mounts, they are like kings of the skies, ready to crush any enemy that enters Indonesian territory.

Today, fighter pilots are no longer kings of the skies. They are no longer the only ones who can maneuver or glide freely through the air.

It is the Kopasgat Wingsuit Troops that have become the Indonesian Air Force's new mainstay in launching air strikes.

They are silent, not as noisy as jet engines, but as fast and precise as missiles hurtling towards their targets.

The Kopasgat Wingsuit Troops are a group of 10 parachutists who wear wingsuits.

They jump from altitudes of 10,000 to 15,000 feet with a gliding style. Their wingsuits aid in rapid gliding and maneuvering.

Like surfing in the air, they glide at a certain angle and finally land at a designated point using a parachute.

They are formed to carry out special missions such as infiltration (entering enemy territory) silently and quickly. After landing, they immediately develop a strategy for conducting combat on the ground.

The Commander of the Kopasgat Wingsuit Team, First Lieutenant (Pas) Yudi Agung Prasetyo, is the leader of the 10 Wingsuit members.

He was one of the first Kopasgat troops to acquire wingsuit jumping skills, beginning in 2018.

However, at that time, a special wingsuit parachute had not yet been formed. It wasn't until 2024 that Kopasgat officially formed a wingsuit squad consisting of 10 personnel.

Yudi believes that not all troops can become wingsuit parachutists. They must have a minimum of 1,500 hours of freefall flight time.

Freefall itself is a vertical parachuting technique in which the parachutist deploys at a certain altitude.

These skills are the foundation for wingsuit parachutists, commonly known as wingsuiters.

Furthermore, ground infiltration skills are also essential for troops, as they will also undertake raid missions after landing.

Physical ability, intelligence, quick calculation skills, and a supportive psychology are a series of absolute requirements that go without saying.

Training Process

Wingsuit parachuting requires them to become accustomed to using the air as their primary vehicle. They must surf freely with specific maneuvers until they finally enter enemy territory.

The wingsuits they wear are intermediate and advanced. These suits are sufficient to allow parachutists to travel through the air at speeds of 125 to 165 kilometers per hour.

Therefore, maneuvering at these speeds requires regular training.

Since 2024, Kopasgat has taken wingsuit training very seriously. They even brought in Australian wingsuit athletes, Ben "Dicko" Dixon and Tahi-Paul.

They were trained from the ground up, eventually becoming the skilled wingsuit jumpers they are today.

Even now, they regularly practice. First Lieutenant Yudi explained that they can practice 14 to 15 jumps per week.

They practice various maneuvers, one of which is the 4-3-3 formation, a staple of Kopasgat wingsuiters.

In this formation, the wingsuiters are divided into three groups. The first group, consisting of the first four jumpers, is tasked with finding the landing site using GPS.

Once the location is found, a second group of three people descends, acting as the execution team.

The third group, consisting of the last three people, is responsible for providing security after the execution team is successful.

The entire training series is conducted under the command of the Training Commander and Commander of Kopasgat's 1st Commando Wing, Colonel Pas Helmi A.

In addition to jump training, the personnel must also undergo ground assault training to infiltrate enemy territory.

In addition to routine training, these top wingsuiters also frequently participate in various large-scale training exercises held by the Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU).

One of the most recent was the Second Air Force Training of the Second Air Operations Command (Koopsud II) Sikatan Daya in South Kalimantan last June.

In the future, they are also scheduled to participate in the largest joint TNI AU training exercise, Angkasa Yudha 2025.

Obstacles

Wingsuit training isn't as smooth as imagined. Parachutists often encounter numerous obstacles, from technical to natural.

Weather is often a major obstacle for parachutists in conducting training. They often postpone training if the weather is deemed inclement.

Not to mention technical issues such as some equipment malfunctioning during the jump.

Lieutenant Yudi explained that the wingsuiters were equipped with various equipment for their jumps, including Intermediate Baracuda 4 suits from Bulgaria, full-face helmets, inter-parachute communication devices, and GPS.

On several occasions, the GPS devices held by the parachutists often malfunctioned, causing the parachutists to feel lost in the sky.

However, they were trained to anticipate such situations.

The parachutists were instructed to follow the parachutist in front of them to avoid getting lost in finding the landing site.

This is the purpose of the 4-3-3 parachute formation, as previously explained.

Despite the many obstacles they faced, the Kopasgat Wingsuit troops persevered in carrying out various training exercises to hone their skills.

The presence of this relatively new force is expected to become the new spearhead of the Indonesian Air Force in safeguarding the nation's sovereignty.

Through the Kopasgat Wingsuit, everyone finally understood that it wasn't necessary to use a combat machine to become the master of the air.

Troop Development

Kopasgat Commander Air Marshal Deny Muis explained that his team will double the number of Kopasgat personnel in the future to increase their combat strength.

According to him, the current troops are quite good and worthy of being a prime example for future generations.

In addition to increasing the number of troops, his team will also recruit international wingsuit athletes to train Kopasgat Wingsuiters.

Deny further expressed his pride and appreciation for the award from the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI) recognizing Kopasgat as the first wingsuit troop in Indonesia.

However, he assured them that he would not dwell on his pride for too long. He must refocus on making the Kopasgat Wingsuit Troop the most respected elite unit in the world. (WMA)