REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BATAM -- Indonesian and US navies' aircraft conducted a joint maritime air patrol around Natuna waters here on Thursday as part of a Sea Surveillance Exercise 15 to improve the capabilities of the two countries' navy personnel.

"This is a cooperation exercise in the field of naval air combat that has been carried out since 2012 to improve professionalism to meet the existing challenges," Commander of the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) Aviation Center Commodore Sigit Setiyanta, as the exercise director, remarked.

He explained that the exercise being held on April 7-9 involved four aircraft: CN-235 MPA, Casa NC-212 MPA, BO-105 helicopter, and US P-3C Orion along with 88 personnel from the two sides.

"The P-3C Orion aircraft, manned by 21 personnel from the US navy, was involved in the exercise," he revealed.

The exercise included Maritime Domain Awareness, Intelligent Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), Fishery Coordination, Search and Rescue (SAR), and Humanitarian Assistant Disaster Relief (HADR).

"During the maritime air patrol, the TNI AL and US Navy also shared surface and underwater ship information and data in the Malacca Strait and Natuna waters," he noted.

He pointed out that in the world of military flight, combat technology and tactics continued to improve and advance.

The TNI AL personnel need to be equipped with modern knowledge and technology to make them reliable and professional, he emphasized.

He said the knowledge and technology could be acquired not only domestically but also through interaction with other countries.

"The joint exercise is one of the realizations, through which the two sides can exchange information in a bid to improve their capabilities, especially in maritime air patrol, to safeguard the border regions," he added.

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