RIMBA AIR FORCE BASE, Monday, 12 September 2022 – 15 Squadron and 55 Squadron, Royal BruneI Air Force (RBAirF), formerly known as 5 Squadron, today celebrated their 25th anniversary. To mark the special occasion, the squadrons attempted to duplicate the 10th year anniversary photo of the Squadron personnel with the CN235-110M which was taken back in 2007. The squadron commander at the time is now the current commander of RBAirF, Brigadier General (U) Dato Seri Pahlawan Mohammad Sharif bin Dato Paduka Haji Ibrahim.
Prior to the establishment of the Squadron, the first set of crews was attached to 2 Squadron, Tentara National Indonesia – Angkatan Udara (TNI AU), Halim Perdana Kesuma Air Force Base in Jakarta to train on the CN235. The crew then moved to Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara (IPTN) in Bandung, Indonesia for aircraft conversion and acceptance in July 1997. On 08 September 1997, ‘ATU 501’ made its first landing at Brunei International Airport. Subsequently, 5 Squadron was officially formed on 12 September 1997.
The primary roles of the squadron are maritime surveillance, Search and Locate (SAL), and transport of personnel and cargo, while its secondary roles include military freefall, cargo drop, static line and formation. Alongside performing its primary and secondary roles, the squadron has also been involved in numerous operations, particularly in South East Asia. Most notable were the Ops Badai Berlalu in Aceh in 2004, Ops Tuaran in Sabah in 2011, and Ops Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013.
Supporting the operation of 15 Squadron are engineers of 55 Squadron, who ensured that all maintenance carried out conform to the standards that have been set by the organisation to further ensure that airworthiness is maintained.
Since its establishment, both squadrons have strived to produce and train disciplined, skilled and professional crew and engineers for the past 25 years and will continue to to perform in whatever role, responsibilities and aspiration that has been trusted upon her shoulders, following the squadron’s motto: “ALWAYS 100%”.
HARI ULANG TAHUN KE-25 SKUADRON 15 DAN SKUADRON 55
PANGKALAN TENTERA UDARA RIMBA, Isnin, 12 September 2022 – Skuadron 15 dan Skuadron 55, Tentera Udara Diraja Brunei (TUDB) yang dahulunya dikenali sebagai 5 Skuadron, hari ini menyambut Hari Ulang Tahun ke-25. Untuk menandakan majlis istimewa itu, anggota skuadron menduplikasi gambar Hari Ulang Tahun ke-10 kakitangan skuadronn dengan pesawat CN235-110M yang diambil pada tahun 2007. Pegawai Memerintah skuadron pada waktu itu adalah Pemerintah TUDB pada masa kini iaitu Brigedier Jeneral (U) Dato Seri Pahlawan Mohd Sharif bin Dato Paduka Haji Ibrahim.
Sebelum penubuhan skuadron, set pertama juruterbang dan anak buah pesawat telah ditempatkan di 2 Skuadron, Tentara Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Udara (TNI AU), Pangkalan Tentara Udara Halim di Jakarta. Juruterbang dan anak buah pesawat kemudian berpindah ke Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara (IPTN) di Bandung, Indonesia bagi conversion dan acceptance pesawat pada Julai 1997. Pada 08 September 1997, ‘ATU 501’ membuat pendaratan pertama di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Brunei. 5 Skuadron telah ditubuhkan secara rasmi pada 12 September 1997.
Peranan utama skuadron ialah pengawasan maritim, Search and Locate (SAL), dan pengangkutan anggota dan kargo, manakala peranan sekunder termasuk terjun bebas tentera, penurunan kargo, static line dan penerbangan formasi. Di samping melaksanakan peranan utama dan sekunder, skuadron ini telah terlibat dalam pelbagai operasi, terutamanya di Asia Tenggara. Antaranya ialah Ops Badai Berlalu di Aceh pada 2004, Ops Tuaran di Sabah pada 2011, dan Ops Taufan Haiyan di Filipina pada 2013.
Elemen bantu penting operasi penerbangan Skuadron 15 adalah jurutera-jurutera Skuadron 55, yang memastikan semua pemulihan yang dijalankan mematuhi piawaian yang telah ditetapkan oleh organisasi untuk memastikan airworthiness dikekalkan.
Sejak penubuhannya 25 tahun yang lalu, kedua-dua skuadron telah berusaha untuk melahirkan dan melatih kru dan jurutera yang berdisiplin, berkemahiran dan profesional dan akan terus memberikan yang terbaik, dalam apa jua peranan, tanggungjawab dan aspirasi yang telah diamanahkan padanya, seiring dengan moto skuadron iaitu “ALWAYS 100%“.
