Kopaska
Kopaska was officially established on the 31st of March 1962 by President Sukarno to help his campaign Operation Trikora, aka the invasion of West Papua.
The type of equipment and weapons used by Kopaska are common in Indonesia and world special force societies, including:
- Pistols: Pindad P1/P2, SIG Sauer P226, Glock 17, Glock 19, H&K USP, CornerShot
- Submachineguns:H&K MP5 variants, Brugger & Thomet MP9 variants, Micro Uzi, Daewoo K7, MP7,
- Assault rifles: AK-47, Norinco Type 56-2, Colt M16A1 assault rifle, Pindad SS1-V1/V2, Pindad SS2-V1/V2, Vz-58, CZ 805 BREN, HK416, M4, Steyr Aug A3 SFO, AK-101, APS underwater rifle, AK-102
- Sniper rifles:SIG 550 Sniper rifle, Steyr-Mannlicher SSG 69, Galatz Sniper Rifle, AW L96, Denel NTW-20, Arctic Sniper, HK417, SR-25
- Machineguns: Ultimax 100 Daewoo K3, FN Minimi, FN MAG, GPMG, Pindad 12.7 MG's.
Weapons
Galil Galatz
The Galil Galatz is the favoured sniper rifle of Kostrad, the Indonesian Army Strategic Reserves Command, and is made by Israeli Weapon Industries (formerly the state-owned IMI – Israeli Military Industries).The Galatz is also used by the Indonesian Navy's Kopaska (Frog Troop Command) and the Indonesian Army's Kopassus (Special Forces Command).
Kostrad soldier with a Galil Galatz sniper rifle
Kostrad platoon with Galil Galatz rifles
K3 light machine gun
A member of 'Raider/753' Infantry Battalion, specialised combat troops, stationed in West Papua, holding an SNT-Motiv K3 Machine Gun
Korean weapons giant Hanwha brokered two deals to export SNT-Motiv machine guns to TNI, The first deal, in 2006, saw 110 K3s sold to TNI. Hanwha then arranged the export of a further 803 K3 machine guns in 2011. The 'light machine guns' are easy to hold and to fire, according to the company's promotions. K3 weapons are used by the Komando Pasukan Katak (Kopaska) tactical diver group and Komando Pasukan Khusus (Kopassus) special forces groups. Two divisions of Yonif Raiders, permanently stationed in West Papua, carry these weapons 'in the field'.
K7 sub-machine gun
SNT Motiv has sold almost 2000 of these K7 machine guns to Indonesia, as of 2023. Marketed as 'good for covert operations' due to the small size and low noise relative to the killing power, the K7 is used by Yonif Raider troops stationed in West Papua. Kopassus and Kopaska are also known to use this weapon.
Yonif Raider troops in West Papua pose with a K7 machine gun.
Yonif Raiders (left) and Kopaska soldier (right) with the SNT Motiv K7
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.
Škorpion vz. 61
The Škorpion is a machine pistol originally developed in 1959. It is listed on the SALW guide as being present in Indonesia, and some unconfirmed reports indicate it is used by Indonesian special forces units 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.
FN High Power
The FN High Power is a semi-automatic handgun designed by American arms manufacturer Browning, and finished by FN Herstal. It is one of the most commonly used military pistols in the world and is the standard issue sidearm for the Indonesian armed forces, including special forces group Kopassus and Kopaska. It is also produced under license by Indonesian arms manufacturer Pindad PT as the P1.