Conflict catalog

1962 Indonesian Confrontation: Weapons and Equipment

The Indonesian Confrontation 1962-1966 was a conflict between Indonesia and Malaysia, backed by Commonwealth forces, during the formation of Malaysia and fighting in Borneo and nearby areas.

The Indonesian Confrontation 1962-1966 was fought between Indonesia and Malaysia with British, Australian, New Zealand, and other Commonwealth involvement. The catalog focuses on source-backed weapons documented in the Borneo and Malaysia fighting.

This catalog tracks weapon systems directly documented in Indonesian Confrontation 1962-1966 use.

Entries should stay limited to direct source-backed use in Borneo, Malaysia, or related Confrontation operations.

5 weapon systems

Conflict Actors

Indonesia / Malaysia and Commonwealth forces

Indonesia

0 weapon systems in this catalog

Context

Status
Published catalog
Domains
land, air, maritime

Use this catalog for weapons directly tied to Confrontation operations, especially jungle, border, air, maritime, and artillery systems documented in primary or museum sources.

Weapons

1962 Indonesian Confrontation Weapon Systems

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

1/1
Blackburn Beverley, Heavy military transport aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsBlackburn BeverleyHeavy military transport aircraftSide: Malaysia and Commonwealth forcesRole: UnknownBuilt: Blackburn Aircraft Company / United KingdomThe Blackburn Beverley was a British piston-engined heavy military transport built at Brough for Royal Air Force Transport Command. Developed from the General Aircraft Universal Freighter line, it paired a box-section cargo hold, high wing, fixed undercarriage, clamshell loading doors, and tailboom troop accommodation for bulky freight, paratroop, and rough-strip logistics, including documented Commonwealth air-supply work in Borneo during the Indonesian Confrontation.

Category

Artillery

Tube artillery, rocket artillery, and long-range ground fires.

2/2
OTO Melara Mod 56, 105 mm towed pack howitzer, ArtilleryArtilleryOTO Melara Mod 56105 mm towed pack howitzerSide: Malaysia and Commonwealth forcesRole: Commonwealth jungle artillery supportBuilt: OTO Melara / ItalyThe OTO Melara Mod 56 is an Italian 105 mm pack howitzer built for light, mountain, and airborne artillery. It breaks down into packable loads, fires standard 105 mm ammunition, and became widely exported under designations including the British/Commonwealth L5; documented conflict use ranges from Vietnam, Borneo, and the Falklands to Spanish-supplied guns in Ukraine and captured or improvised Boko Haram systems in Nigeria.
140mm BL 5.5-inch gun, Towed medium gun-howitzer, ArtilleryArtillery140mm BL 5.5-inch gunTowed medium gun-howitzerSide: Malaysia and Commonwealth forcesRole: Commonwealth medium artillery fire supportBuilt: Royal Ordnance / United KingdomThe 140mm BL 5.5-inch gun was a British towed medium artillery piece built around a split-trail carriage, separate-loading ammunition, and a 10-person detachment. British units received the gun in 1941, Australian War Memorial and Royal Artillery sources place its first operational service in May 1942, and the type served with British and Commonwealth forces in North Africa, Italy, and northwest Europe before later South African G2 use in the Border War.

Category

Infantry Weapons

Portable weapons used by soldiers and small units.

1/1
120mm L2 BAT, 120 mm recoilless anti-tank rifle, Infantry WeaponsInfantry Weapons120mm L2 BAT120 mm recoilless anti-tank rifleSide: Malaysia and Commonwealth forcesRole: Commonwealth anti-armor and local defensive fire-support weaponBuilt: Royal Ordnance / United KingdomThe 120mm L2 BAT was the British Battalion Anti-Tank recoilless rifle, a heavy towed 120 mm HESH-firing weapon introduced in 1953 as a postwar infantry anti-armor system. Its same-family L4 MOBAT, L7 CONBAT, and L6 WOMBAT variants traded the shielded L2 carriage for lighter or better-sighted configurations; Australian War Memorial records place an L4 MOBAT/BAT gun with Commonwealth forces in Malacca during the Indonesian Confrontation.

Category

Munitions

Standalone missiles, bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and guided or unguided explosive payloads.

1/1
120 mm L2 HESH, 120 mm high-explosive squash-head recoilless-rifle ammunition, MunitionsMunitions120 mm L2 HESH120 mm high-explosive squash-head recoilless-rifle ammunitionSide: Malaysia and Commonwealth forcesRole: Anti-armor ammunition documented with a Commonwealth L4 MOBAT positionBuilt: Royal Ordnance / United KingdomThe 120 mm L2 HESH round was the high-explosive squash-head ammunition for Britain's BAT-family recoilless anti-tank rifles, pairing a separate-loaded 120 mm projectile and propellant case with the L2 BAT, L4 MOBAT, and L6 WOMBAT family. A 1964 joint-services ammunition-marking handbook identifies the service store as 120 mm B.A.T. H.E.S.H. L19A3, while specialist sources use the L2 HESH label for the BAT-family round. Australian War Memorial collection data documents BAT HESH ammunition tubes with an L4 MOBAT in Malacca during the Indonesian Confrontation, giving the round a direct source-backed conflict context without implying that the specific photographed rounds were fired.

Conflict Sources