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Thread: Borneo 1962-66
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Old 31st Aug 2010, 22:17
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NutherA2
 
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I was on the QRA force the night of the Labis para drop and am absolutely certain that none of our aircraft was scrambled, although it was rumoured that Bukit Gombak GCI had detected the 130 incursion. I believe the report that one of the Indonesian aircraft had gone missing came from diplomatic sources in Jakarta; if it was suggested that it had been intercepted the rumour was allowed to develop, but believe me, none of us was airborne that night.

If the Borneo incident occurred, none of us was made aware of it, which would have been very odd, considering the amount of time and effort we were putting into the border patrols and the understandably keen rivalry between 20 & 60 Sqns (and latterly 64) to be the first to find anything to intercept.

Might this Wikipedia entry be relevant? -

The Indonesians lost a C-130 in Borneo and it did not involve the RAF. It occurred on 26 September 1965 near Long Bawang airfield into the 5th Division of Sarawak near Ba Kelalan in Sarawak. It was shot down by Indonesian anti-aircraft fire, being mistaken for a Commonwealth aircraft. It was carrying a reinforced RPKAD platoon from RPKAD Battalion 1’s Company C (nicknamed ‘Cobra’). The full company had been sent from Java on orders of the Indonesian high command to ‘neutralise’ a gun position on the border ridge. After the aircraft was hit the RPKAD parachuted out and the aircraft crashed, but the crew got clear before it caught fire.
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