Navy to Revive Squadron 100

Surabaya, E Java, June 17 (Antara) -- The navy will soon revive its Squadron 100 unit to strengthen its armory, Indonesian Naval Chief of Staff Admiral Ade Supandi said. "The Squadron 100 unit that we will revive at the navy's Juanda Airbase will be one of anti-submarine warfare variety of helicopters. So the squadron will serve as the backbone of marine operations," he stated at the navy's Juanda Airbase here on Wednesday. He made the remarks after receiving a brevet from the Aviator Center of the Navy (Puspenerbal) and being named an honorary member of the center by Commodore Sigit Setiyanta, the commander of Puspenerbal. The conferment of the brevet was the highlight of the commemoration of Puspenerbal's 59th anniversary. Before receiving the brevet, the naval chief of staff rode aboard the Heli Bell flight for 20 minutes at an altitude of 500 feet. He further noted that as part of the initial step to revive the squadron, which was shut down in the 1960s, the navy will receive 11 helicopters in stages this year. "The 11 helicopters are important because Squadron 100 had been merged with another squadron because did not have aircraft. We want to have a combat force equipped with an integrated fleet and weaponry system (SSAT)," he remarked.