Ground Warfare

Indonesian Marine Corps Commander Inspects Air Defense Equipment Facility

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Indonesian Marine Corps Commander Inspects Air Defense Equipment Facility
Indonesian Marine Corps Commander Inspects Air Defense Equipment Facility

The Commander of the Indonesian Marine Corps (Dankormar), Major General Endi Supardi, accompanied by marine corps officials, conducted a visit to the workshop facilities of PT. Cipta Teknik Berjaya located in the Taman Tekno Warehouse Complex, Serpong City, Tangerang on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. During this working visit, the Marine Corps Commander and his entourage inspected the air defense equipment and weaponry manufactured by PT. Cipta Teknik Berjaya, intended for use by Marine Corps personnel. Prior to the visit, the top official of the Marine Corps received a briefing on the characteristics of the weapons, followed by a facility tour to closely observe the showcased products. Among the items observed during the visit were URO VAMTAC vehicles equipped with RapidRanger weapon launchers, which are likely to be utilized by the Marine Corps.

StarStreak Lightweight Multiple Launcher provides a cost effective multi-engagement capability against a wide range of threats.
The demonstration of the Lightweight Multiple Launcher, which may be armed with Martlet LML short-range surface-to-air missile. (Photo by Korps Marinir)

RapidRanger is a unique lightweight, vehicle based, highly automated system capable of delivering a rapid reaction response to threats from the air or the ground. RapidRanger can be integrated into a network enabled force structure and be coordinated with Early Warning Command and Control (C2) systems, or it can operate in an autonomous mode for specific missions. When used with the Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) a capability is provided to defeat surface targets such as Light Armoured Vehicles (LAVs), trucks and fixed installations and aerial targets such as UAVs. Both missiles utilise the Thales laser beam riding guidance system. When using the StarStreak missile with its extremely fast time of flight, a variety of threats can be defeated from head on or fast crossing aerial targets, to targets such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and helicopters.

StarStreak firing from the Rapid Ranger luncher, mountable on any light or armoured vehicle
StarStreak short-range surface-to-air missile firing from the Rapid Ranger luncher, mountable on any light or armoured vehicle. (Photo by Thales)

The Rapid Ranger missile system in service with the Indonesian Armed Forces is mounted on a Spanish-made URO Vamtac 4×4 light tactical vehicle. The turret weapon system includes optics and four ready-to-launch missile containers able to fire the STARStreak and Martlet missile. First order was in November 2011, followed by a second but no deliveries were made and the contract was renegotiated in January 2014 to equip five batteries of ForceShield system with Starstreak missiles, ControlMaster200 radars and weapon coordination systems, lightweight multiple launchers on Land Rover Defenders and RapidRanger weapon launchers on URO VAMTAC vehicles, at a cost of over £100m. The URO VAMTAC (Vehículo de Alta Movilidad Táctico, “High Mobility Tactical Vehicle”) is a Spanish four-wheel drive military vehicle manufactured by UROVESA.

The Marines received an explanation about the Martlet or the Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM).
The Marines received an explanation about the Martlet or the Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM). (Photo by Korps Marinir)

Martlet or the Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) is a lightweight air-to-surface, air-to-air, surface-to-air, and surface-to-surface missile developed by Thales Air Defence for the United Kingdom. It is named after a mythical bird from English heraldry that never roosts, the Martlet. The LMM was developed from the Starburst surface-to-air missile to meet the UK’s “Future Air-to-Surface Guided Weapon (Light)” requirement to equip the Royal Navy’s AW159 Wildcat helicopters and supplement the heavier Sea Venom missile by the engagement of smaller and manurable naval craft. A number of other surface launch options have been conceived for the LLM such as standalone launchers as well as concepts for LMM to be mounted to other gun systems as the Thales’ 40mm RAPIDfire.

Indonesian Marine Corps Commander Inspects Air Defense Equipment Facility
The Marine Corps officers receive an explanation about the URO VAMTAC equipped with RapidRanger weapon launcher which can be armed with Starstreak and Martlet missiles. (Photo by Korps Marinir)
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