Kopasgat
Kopasgat troops boarding a Lockheed Martin C130 troop transporter, on their way to West Papua
Kopasgat ( Komando Pasukan Gerak Cepat) is the air force infantry and special forces corps of the Indonesian Air Force. Kopasgat commandos were parachuted into several locations in West Papua during Indonesian invasion, or Operation Trikora. Kopasgat corps (then "PGT AURI") deployed a total of 532 paratroopers during Operation Trikora, the largest number of military personnel from a single unit operationally deployed to West Papua. Troops were parachuted in to seize control from Dutch forces, with some 52 Kopasgat soldiers lost in a single attack when they were accidentally dropped inside the Dutch army base. Kopasgat carry Sig-552 pistols from Germany and FN Minimi submachine guns from Belgium. A detachment of Kopasgat commandos is permanently stationed at the TNI-AU (Indonesian Air Force) base on the island of Biak.
Kopasgat troops at Biak air base, West Papua
Weapons
K2 Assault Rifle
The K2 was developed by the South Korean Agency for Defense Development and is manufactured by S&T Motiv and Dasan Machineries (since 2016). Between 2006 and 2018 Indonesia purchased 806 K2 rifles. The K2 weapons are used by special forces, including paratroopers and 'Raiders' in West Papua.
Yonif Raider 142 unit en route to West Papua, March 2022
Sig Sauer P226 pistol
The United State’s 2008 report to the UN’s Register of Conventional Arms lists 326 Sig Sauer P226 pistols which were originally from Switzerland before being shipped to Indonesia. These weapons are used by the three 'special forces' units, Kopassus, Kopaska and Kopasgat. All three special forces units have been deployed to West Papua since invasion.
SIG SG550 assault rifle
The SIG SG550 is an assault rifle with a number of variations. It is listed on the SALW guide as being present in Indonesia, with some sources indicating it is used by special forces groups such as Kopassus and Kopaska.
F16C multirole aircraft
F-16C Fighter
The F-16C is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft developed for the US airforce by General Dynamics, who sold the manufacturing arm to Lockheed Martin in 1993. The plane carries a Vulcan 20mm cannon and 11 places for missiles and other equipment. Indonesia ordered 24 in 2012 as military aid, upgraded to block-52 version (manufactured by General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin). Pictured above is an Indonesian Airforce F-16 at an RAAF base in Australia. TNI-AL, the Indonesian Airforce, now has a total of 34 of these multi-million dollar weapons. Below, the same fighter jet (with a different registration) lands in West Papua.
F-16C Fighter in West Papua
P226/228
The P226 and P228 are variations of the same handgun, used by Indonesian special forces groups such as KOPASSUS and KOPASKA. The United State’s 2008 report to the UN’s Register of Conventional Arms lists 326 Sig Sauer P226 pistols which were originally from the Swiss Sig Sauer branch before being shipped to Indonesia.
Sig MPX
Sig Sauer MPX submachine gun
The Sig Sauer MPX is a 9x19mm submachine gun introduced in 2015. Indonesian media sources indicate that this weapon is in use by Detachment-88 BriMob and TNI special forces Kopassus and Kopaska.
Member of Taskforce Nemangkawi with Sig Sauer MPX, in West Papua in 2021