Abdul Halim Perdanakusuma was born on 18 November 1922 in Sampang, Madura, as the third child of the five children of Abdulgani Wongsotaruno, a prime minister and writer, and Raden Ayu Aisah.

[6] He joined the nascent military (then called the Tentara Keamanan Rakyat; People Security Army) under Commodore Suryadi Suryadarma; together with Agustinus Adisucipto and Abdul Rahman Saleh, he was tasked with organizing the Indonesian Air Force.

On their return trip on 14 December, the Avro Anson they were flying stalled, leading it to crash outside of Tanjung Hantu, Malaysia, killing both of them.

His only child, Ian Santoso, was born after his death and named after his deceased friend during the World War II in Europe.

[12] An interchange railway station near the airport which serves the Greater Jakarta LRT and Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail is also named after him.