The Satgas Atbara is an Special Operations unit whose soldiers are recruited from the Indonesian Air Force

Indonesian Air Force

The Indonesian Air Force is the air force branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces.The Indonesian Air Force has 34,930 personnel equipped with 110 combat aircraft including Su-27 and Su-30.-Before Indonesian independence :...

 unit, the Pasukan Pemukul Reaksi Cepat (Rapid Reaction Strike Force). In Indonesia it is also known by the designation Bravo-Den 90.

The unit specialize in hostage rescue involving hijacked airframes.

In April, 2008, the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah

Hassanal Bolkiah

General Haji Sir Hassan al-Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah GCB GCMG is the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the 29th Sultan of Brunei and the first Prime Minister of Brunei Darussalam...

, was made an honorary member of the unit.

History

Initially, there were 34 personnel in Bravo: 1 commanding officer, 3 group commander, and 30 troops. No information ever released about this unit from its limited formation until the end of 1990s. In this vacuum era, it is believed that its members were assigned into Kopaskhasaus Demonstration and Training Unit (Satdemolat). It was September 9, 1999 this special forces detachment was formally established.

Bravos personnel were recruited from the best graduates of Para-Commando

Commando

In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...

 trainings in the Air Force. About 5-10 graduates are recruited for this elite unit. To train its anti-terror techniques, the unit also trains at Armys Sat-81 Gultor (Kopassus

Kopassus

Kopassus is an Indonesian Army special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as direct action, unconventional warfare, sabotage, counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, and intelligence gathering.Kopassus was founded on April 16, 1952...

) GMF facility and airplane hostage rescue trainings, Marines Denjaka

Denjaka

The Jala Mengkara Detachment is an elite special operations forces of the Indonesian Navy...

 facility for off-shore airfields infiltration and attack trainings, Navy's KOPASKA

KOPASKA

Kopaska or Komando Pasukan Katak is the premier frogman and underwater demolition unit of the Indonesian Navy. The Unit's motto is 'Tan Hana Wighna Tan Sirna', which means 'There is no obstacle that can not be defeated'. It was officially established on March 31, 1962 by President Sukarno to help...

 facility for underwater demolition

Demolition

Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....

 trainings, Police's Detasemen Gegana facility for anti-bomb unit trainings and UK Special Air Service

Special Air Service

Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...

 for HALO/HAHO

HALO/HAHO

Military free-fall form of insertion.PurposeDelivering personnel, equipment, or supplies.HALOHigh-Altitude/Low-OpeningHAHOHigh-Altitude/High-OpeningOrigins...

skills.

External links

• Realpolitik Ideology By Leonard C. Sebastian, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Indonesia (Google Books)
• "Anti-terror squad: Necessity or project-driven?" Jakarta Post, September 28, 2004
• "Special Forces of IDAF Bravo 90 Detachement", Angkasa, August 1, 2002 (Indonesian)
• Meliala, Adrianus. "Indonesian Experiences in Handling Terrorism Cases. University of Indonesia.