Endri Rachman - Pencipta UAV Tamingsari dari Arcamanik Bandung

Tamingsari Vs Kujang

In Malay story, Tamangsari is Hang Tuah’s sacred weapon in the form of Kris which can fly looking for the target without the owner’s control. That name then become the name of an unmanned planed called unmanned Aerical Vehicle/UAV. Tamingsari is now a UAV identical made in Malaysia. Whereas in fact, UAV Tamingsari is purely made in Indonesia, even it’s made in Arcamanik, Bandung.

Like the famous Malaysia customs to claims others’ belonging, UAV which is developed by the former of IPTN worker Endri Rachman since 2000 and made in Arcamanik in 2004 is not missed from their claim. Let’s see the headline of Malaysian newspaper, The Star, 25 September 2005 which is provocative “Our Own Spy Plane Prototype”, strengthen that claim. 

“Actually, I made the UAV Tamingsari, it’s made in Arcamanik. Fortunately, Tamingsari is still controlled manually using remote control, not using autopilot logic like I develop,” said Endri when meeting Kompas in his UAV plane factory in Arcamanik.

Malaysia

Hurt by Malaysia manner, Endri silently continues UAV development which is different to Tamingsari. It is UAV that follows autopilot logic flight because of software that he designed.

Now, together with his colleagues in Globalindo Technology Services Indonesia (GTSI), he established a company made UAV with its office in Cihampelas Street, Bandung. He still completes his UAV flying ability. 

In this company, run by four German, ITB, and IPTN technicians and 12 workers graduated from STM who work daily in plane factory in Arcamanik, born UAV named Kujang. Even though it can’t fly automatically like Tamingsari, Kujang is still Sundanese weapon with shape like crescent which is famous with its power.

Unfortunately, the first buyer for Kujang is a Malaysia research institution. In his own country, Endri with his developed UAV is no one!

“At least, when brought to Malaysia, the name is Kujang,” hoped Endri, who diasporas to the neighbor country as a lecturer after the agony of IPTN.

The glaring differences between Tamingsari and Kujang which both are made by Endri is on their work. Tamingsari is controlled by remote control so its exploration is limited because it has always seen by the eye sight. Miss a little from radio wave radius which is limited, it flies uncontrolled and never hopes it will come back.

Different from Kujang which is an unmanned smart plane, in the try out in Sulaeman airport, Bandung, Kujang has successfully follows automatically flight logic based on determined coordinate dots. Something that will never be done by Tamingsari!

Even though Endri admits that he’s irritated to Malaysian claim in his work result, he said that he is thankful to this country which has willingness to accommodate he and his family this long.

When going out of IPTN in 1998 Indonesia only gave him less than Rp. 1 million for his salary, Malaysia appreciates him Rp.15 millions a month plus house and vehicle as the lecturer’s facilities.

Freedom

The University, where he serves, is Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), also gives freedom for using the complete aeronautical laboratory. In the USM Laboratory, Endri finds autopilot logic for UAV plane which he develops, and then he named it Kujang.

Together with his friend, the IPTN refugees, Endri determines to still produce UAV in Indonesia even though they do it alone without the government help. [/indent][indent]Airplane factory in Arcamanik

What do you imagine if a home industry is not only making a motorcycle or car spare parts, but also making airplane spare parts? Not only making a component, but also the whole airplane!

This isn’t fantasy, but real. This airplane factory is in Indonesia, in Aero modeling 4, Arcamanik, in east Bandung, to be exact. It is at a yard of a citizen’s house. Maybe the west java governor or Bandung regent governor had never known the presence of this airplane home factory.” If they had known, of course there would have been a few attentions,” said Jaka Prahasta, the production head of PT Globalindo Technology Services Indonesia (GTSI), when we met in the factory, in the middle of December 2007.

Well this is not an ordinary airplane which transports the passengers, but the unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) home industry. We can’t call it mini plane, because UAV has 3 meters wide wings, 2.6 meters length body, and 20 kilos weight, including the camera inside of it. Made by fiberglass made in the factory, UAV can fly on 1.000 meters height for 2 – 3 hours with the maximum speed 150 kilometers per hour.

It’s different from manual remote control plane, UAV which has 12 volt electrical power can fly autonomously because GPS navigation which is planted in its body. The remote control, two sticks with six lines, is only used when the plane is taking off or landing. The rest, it flies autonomously searching coordinate dots which are determined before it flies using free Google earth map.

UAV application is not only to stop on forest fire, search accident victim, monitor maritime traffic, search underground mineral, or monitor outpouring dots of Lapindo mud, but also, for example, it’s developed to be a spy plane. 

At the citizen’s house which half of their yard become factory, is produced also teen of aero modeling types plane for sport and hobby, from helicopter to military plane made by 12 technicians graduated from STM (technical senior high School degree). The price for a plane starts from Rp.15 millions to Rp.25 millions. However, the main business, which is seriously made, is AUV.

When Kompas visits this airplane home industry, a UAV ordered by a Malaysian research institution had already made. On 24 December 2007, UAV, then named Kujang, had successfully followed flying test in Sulaeman Airport, Bandung. Kujang – one of the Sundanese weapons – flies for 30 minutes, has successfully followed the determined route without any radio control, until lands safely.

The logic Expanded

Who is the brain behind the born of this UAV, which is high technology, made in Arcamanik? He’s Endri Rachman, the refugee of PT. Industry Pesawat Terbang Nusantara (IPTN) who has moved to Malaysia since eight years ago for improving his ability as a lecturer.

Kompas has still written this man, graduated from S2 of technical university of Brunswick, German, majoring in autopilot model when met one year ago. “I want to produce UAV with autopilot logic in Indonesia, Bandung for exact.” He said. (Kompas, 29/12/2006). Seems he proves his words.

Not nationalist? “It’s up to the people what they want to say. I am the citizen of Indonesia. If I’m not a nationalist, I won’t develop the plane factory in Arcamanik, but in Malaysia. The presence of this factory in order to make Malaysia doesn’t claim that UAV I developed is theirs,” said Endri when met in the office of UAV instruments development in an office house in Cihampelas Street, Bandung.

For bring his plan into reality, Endri with his colleagues IPTN alumnus establish PT GTSI with beginning capital, according to him, less than Rp.300 millions. In the second floor of this office house work airplane technicians who are mainly graduated from Bandung Technical Institute (ITB) and IPTN. There is Asep Permana, graduated from German and IPTN in business development. Widyawardana, graduated from electronic technical ITB in UAV avionic system development. There’s also Muhajirin, drawing manager who designs UAV shape. Endri himself is the chief director. 

Why, with the capital that we can’t say big, Endri and friends bravely do the big step by establishing UAV factory in Indonesia? The answer is “the well known Name”, it’s the Endri’s name as the plane innovator which is sold well in Malaysia. Even the Malaysian people who ordered the first UAV bravely gave first payment 70 percent of the UAV price.

Widyawardana admits the engine is still imported from The USA. However, in the future, he said, PT. GTSI has already designed UAV engine. What is worked by the technicians in the second floor of the office house only to calculate, construct and develop the software and the hardware will be planted in the UAV. “We develop the logic. Therefore, if talking about software it isn’t just for the UAV. Commonly, it can be used in the other moving things, like unmanned submarine or even the guided missile which can’t be reached by eye sight,” he said.

“Technopreneur” Association

Asep and his colleagues at PT GTSI have a huge dream, gathering the IPTN alumnus who are now many of them scattered in business but not in the plane business, called the 

“Technopreneur”. It’s not the social secret, after IPTN was shaky, in the same time; BJ Habibie finished his contribution in the government, the IPTN reliable technicians had scattered in many places.

Most of them run to the foreign country, like Endri went to Malaysia. There are also still defended in Indonesia. Asep mentions several names, such as Husin, a helicopter master, who is a west java DPRD member. There is also Lian Darmakusumah, the best graduate of France aeronautical, which is now a businessman. For bring this step into reality, PT GTSI exquisites a workshop that, in the past, only makes aero modeling plane. This controlled plane for hobby is still maintained. The decision to develop UAV isn’t wrong. Endri admits that he has already received a new order, also from Malaysia, for making the second Kujang.

Source: Kompas