Last Flight of the Hawk from Pekanbaru

On 7 January 2026, the final BAE Hawk flight took place at Pekanbaru Air Base. Skadron Udara 12 'Panther Hitam (Black Panthers)' of the Tentara Nasional Indonesia - Angkatan Udara (TNI-AU, Indonesian Air Force) conducted the commemorative mission using two Hawk Mk109 single-seat aircraft, led by Hawk Mk209 TL-0103 and escorted by two F-16s from Skadron Udara 16.

This flight marked the end of an era, as the base is in the final stages of preparation to receive the first Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft, scheduled to arrive later this month.

Before the Hawks arrived at Pekanbaru in 1996, Skadron Udara 12 operated the A-4E Skyhawk and will now transition to the Rafale after 30 years of Hawk operations.

Skadron Udara 12 originally existed during the early years of the TNI-AU and was equipped with Soviet-built fighters such as the MiG-19, and later the MiG-21, following Indonesia’s procurement of Eastern-bloc aircraft in the 1960s. As Indonesia moved away from Soviet equipment in the 1970s, the MiG fleet was grounded due to spare parts and logistics challenges, leading to the squadron’s temporary disbandment for approximately 14 years.

The squadron was reactivated on 2 May 1983 as part of a restructuring of TNI-AU combat forces. This coincided with the acquisition of former Israeli Douglas A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft, marking a transition from Soviet to Western platforms.

Initially based at Lanud Iswahyudi Air Base in Madiun, Skadron Udara 12 relocated in September 1983 to Lanud Pekanbaru in Riau Province. This move supported strategic defence planning by improving coverage of Indonesia’s western airspace, particularly Sumatra.

All Skadron Udara 12 Hawks departed to Pontianak/Supadio air base, where they have joined Skadron Udara 1 'Elang Khatulistiwa (Equatorial Hawks)'.

Credit photos: Erwin van Dijkman and Hans van Herk