SURABAYA, Indonesia – The Mad Foxes of Patrol Squadron (VP) 5 and squadrons 800, 600, 400 and 200 of the Indonesian navy participated in the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) at Juanda Naval Air Base in Indonesia on May 30.
The joint forces “at sea” training exercise held professional discussions designed to facilitate professional relationship building between the two countries.
The exercise began with an aviation symposium covering a broad area of naval aviation topics. The Indonesian navy introduced a variety of aircraft including the Casa C-212 Aviocar, GAF Nomad and the Belle 412. While the Mad Foxes discussed topics including crew resource management, aircraft mission equipment and coordinated operations.
At the end of each presentation, members from each country discussed how they could incorporate those new ideas into their respective communities.
“It was really interesting discussing the similarities and differences between our military and theirs, especially from the operational and training perspectives.” said Lt. Tim Clemens.
Throughout the week, the Mad Foxes took members of the various Indonesian squadrons for familiarization flights including range clearing, coordinated operations, and a basic Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) profile. The Indonesian aircrews were able to develop a feeling of what life is like on a P-3C Orion as they observed the crew perform their jobs at each crew station.
Through out the symposium and training flights, both the American and Indonesian aircrews came to a better understanding and appreciation for each other.
