2003 Bawean incident

Aerial combat between Indonesian and US fighter jets Two FA-18C Hornet from USS Carl Vinson seen from Indonesian B737-200.jpg 300px Two F/A-18C Hornets from USS Carl Vinson photographed by an Indonesian Air Force B737-200 over the sea off Lombok Island, 4 July 2003 2003 Bawean Incident 3 July 2003 Near Bawean Island in the Java Sea * F/A-18 Hornet jammed Indonesian F-16B, but another F/A-18 Hornet was successfully locked by Indonesian Air Force F-16B. Resolved with signals and communication US Carrier Strike Group leaves Indonesian territory Indonesia filed a diplomatic complaint to the United States Indonesia Flag of the Indonesian Air Force.svg Indonesian Air Force 25px 3rd Air Squadron United States 25px United States Navy 25px Carl Vinson 25px VFA-22 "ben" Indonesia Kembali Diuji Indonesia Again Under Test Angkasa, Aviation Magazine 13 11 August 2003 PT Mediarona Dirgantara ID 22-24 2 F-16B Fighting Falcon 5 F/A-18 Hornet The 2003 Bawean incident was an incident on 3 July 2003 where two Indonesian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons were sent to intercept five US Navy F/A-18 Hornets fighter jets from the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson. The F-16s and F/A-18s engaged in a dogfight, missile lock and electronic warfare near Bawean Island in the Java Sea, north of Java. Incident thumb|left|Location of Bawean The incident began at 11:38 UTC+7:00 on 3 July 2003 when military-civilian radar at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali detected suspicious movement of several aircraft northwest of Bawean Island, with the altitude observed to be between 15000 ft m on to 35000 ft m on and speed of 450 kn km/h on. The movement of these aircraft was also reported by a nearby commercial Boeing 737-200 of Bouraq Airlines. "avi" "ben" "ron" "don" Indonesian F-16s Intercept US Hornets Angkasa, Aviation Magazine 13 11 August 2003 PT Mediarona Dirgantara EN 78-79 Because the aircraft later disappeared from radar, the Sector II National Air Defense Command and the National Air Defense Operations Center did not report it to the headquarters.Menegangkan, Insiden TNI AU Cegat Pesawat AS Di Atas Pulau Bawean Indonesia https://www.riauonline.co.id/kota-pekanbaru/read/2016/12/15/menegangkan-insiden-tni-au-cegat-pesawat-as-di-atas-pulau-bawean-indonesia Riau Online 15 December 2016 Three hours later radar detected more activity on the Green 63 civil flight route near Bawean Island or 66 nmi in from Surabaya.Insiden Bawean, Bukti Ketangguhan TNI AU dalam Menjaga Kedaulatan Udara Indonesia https://indonesiadefense.com/insiden-bawean-bukti-ketangguhan-tni-au-dalam-menjaga-kedaulatan-udara-indonesia/ Indonesia Defense 27 March 2023 Because the aircraft were not communicating with air traffic control, it was deemed dangerous for civil aviation. At 15:00, the commander of the Second National Air Defense Sector Command formally requested the permission to visually identify the suspicious radar contacts by sending interceptors. A pair of armed F-16B Fighting Falcons of 3rd Air Squadron took off from Iswahjudi AFB at 17:02 and were sent to the reported location. The two F-16B fighter jets, tail number TS-1602 and TS-1603, had just returned from military operation in Aceh. The TS-1603, callsign Falcon 1 was piloted by Capt. Ian Fuady (flight leader) and Capt. Fajar Adriyanto, while TS-1602, callsign Falcon 2, was flown by Capt. Tony Harjono and Capt. Satriyo Utomo. Each aircraft was armed with two AIM-9P-4 missiles and a single 20 mm autocannon with 450 rounds. The F-16s were guided to the reported location by Surabaya air surveillance radar. The ground radar detected five unidentified aircraft. At 17:21, Falcon 1 detected two unidentified aircraft at a range of 35 NM km, with Surabaya radar informing that the two aircraft were heading towards the F-16s. A minute later at 17:22, both sides were involved in jamming each other's electronics. Moments later, Falcon 1 was radar locked by the target, which ended up being identified as US Navy F/A-18 Hornets. Dogfight ensued between both sides, which lasted for 18 minutes. At the same time, Falcon 1 also spotted an aircraft carrier, two frigates and a tanker heading east. The engagement ended when Falcon 2 rocked its wings and Falcon 1 successfully establishing a radio communication with the F/A-18s. The American aircraft claimed to be operating in international waters. After establishing contact, the F/A-18s flew away and landed at USS Carl Vinson and the F-16s returned to Iswahjudi Air Force Base.F-16 nomor registrasi TS-1603 berjasa pada insiden Pulau Bawean https://www.antaranews.com/berita/618202/f-16-nomor-registrasi-ts-1603-berjasa-pada-insiden-pulau-bawean ANTARA News 15 March 2017 Investigation and aftermath thumb|Indonesian Air Force F-16BM (TS-1602) the same aircraft involved in the incident, 20 years later in 2023 After the F-16s landed, the Indonesian Air Force received information from Bali Air Traffic Control that the Hornets are part of US Naval fleet and that the Hornets just contacted Bali ATC to report their activity. The five Hornets intercepted were from the Carl Vinson, a Nimitz aircraft carrier 0 supercarrier sailing from west to east with two frigates and a destroyer. From the results of monitoring by the Indonesian Air Force, the convoy of US Navy warships in the vicinity of Bawean Island was traveling at 20 kn in and was heading for Madura and Kangean Islands 12 hours later. Bawean Island is located in the Java Sea between the Indonesian island of Java to the south and Borneo to the north. To the west lies the island of Sumatra and the Bangka Belitung Islands, and to the east are the outer islands of South Sulawesi Province. Because the United States did not ratify the 1982 UNCLOS, they did not recognize the Java Sea as territorial waters. Priyatna Abdurrasyid, a legal expert on airspace law, argued that United States has violated the Article 1 of Chicago Convention. Angkasa Priyatna Abdurrasyid Soal Hornet AS: "Protes, Hanya Cari Musuh" Priyatna Abdurrasyid on US Hornets: "Protesting is Just Looking for Enemies" Angkasa, Aviation Magazine 13 11 August 2003 PT Mediarona Dirgantara ID 56-57 thumb|Indonesian Air Force 737-200 'Surveiller' maritime patrol aircraft, equipped with SLAMMR radars The Indonesian Air Force sent a Boeing 737-200 Surveiller reconnaissance aircraft at around 07:00 UTC+8:00 on 4 July to monitor their movements. When the 737 contacted the Hornets to ask where they are heading, the Hornets replied "We are in international waters." The American warship fleet was still transiting the area and claimed to be in international waters. On that occasion, the 737 photographed the Carl Vinson, two frigates, and a destroyer. This reconnaissance was escorted by two US Navy F/A-18 Hornets. Following up on this incident, the House of Representatives of Indonesia (DPR) asked the Indonesian government, through the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Defense, to issue a protest diplomatic note against the United States government. From the photos that were captured, the Indonesian government protested to the United States for entering Indonesian waters without permission. The United States Embassy in Jakarta stated that the naval convoy had sought permission from the Indonesian government and that the warplanes involved in the incident did not violate international laws and that they had informed the Indonesian authorities beforehand about the exercise they were conducting. Indonesia denied receiving notification and said it did not issue security clearance for the Navy convoy.Indonesia Blames Indian & US Military Planes For Violating Their Airspace Multiple Times Since January https://www.eurasiantimes.com/indonesia-blames-india-us-military-planes-for-violating-their/ The EuraAsian TimesIndonesia protest US jet incursion https://www.smh.com.au/national/indonesia-protest-us-jet-incursion-20030711-gdh2vh.html The Sydney Morning Herald 11 July 2003 However, Indonesian Rear Air Marshal Wresnowiro said the US Navy requested permission to transit, "but our bureaucracy is too slow to pass the security clearance."Indonesian, U.S. Jets Face Off Near Java https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jul-05-fg-indo5-story.html The Los Angeles Times 5 July 2003 Carl Vinson went on to visit Perth on 14 July 2003. The carrier then visited Hong Kong on 6 August travelling back through the Java Sea on a similar path as in early July.USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) WestPac Cruise Book 2003 - Cruise Route and Ports of Call Unofficial US Navy Site https://www.navysite.de/cruisebooks/cvn70-03/592.htm 16 September 2023USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) history U.S. Carriers 13 March 1982 http://www.uscarriers.net/cvn70history.htm 16 September 2023 During the 2003 deployment, VFA-22, VMFA-314, VFA-146, and VFA-147 deployed on Carl Vinson apparently with F/A-18C/D Hornet aircraft.USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) WestPac Cruise Book 2003 - Table of Contents Unofficial US Navy Site https://www.navysite.de/cruisebooks/cvn70-03/index.html 17 September 2023 It is not clear which squadron was involved in this incident, although according to an Indonesian monthly aviation magazine Angkasa, the F/A-18 Hornets belonged to VFA-22. References External links Air Commodore Fajar Adriyanto: Indonesian and US Jet Dogfight Inevitable Over Bawean | BRIGADE Podcast by Kompas.com (in Indonesian) -5.522 112.574 type:event_globe:earth_region:ID title Category:Indonesian Air Force Category:2003 in Indonesia Category:2003 conflicts Category:July 2003 in Indonesia Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Indonesia Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving military aircraft Category:Accidents and incidents involving United States Navy and Marine Corps aircraft Bawean Category:Air-to-air combat operations and battles Category:Battles and conflicts without fatalities Category:Indonesia–United States relations Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon