Army considers German tank offer may be best option
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 03/08/2012 7:18 PM

The Indonesian Army revealed on Thursday that Germany’s offer of the Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks (MBTs) was much more interesting than those offered by the Netherlands.

“Germany’s offer is more promising in terms of filling in the gap. Besides, the Netherlands still has problem with its parliament [in terms of the deal],” Indonesian Military (TNI) chief of staff Gen. Pramono Edhie Wibowo said as quoted by Antara news agency on Thursday.

He said Germany not only offered the transfer-of-technology but also the possibility of joint production in which state-owned arms manufacturers PT Pindad could make some parts for the 60-ton tank.

The Germans, he said, even challenged the readiness of domestic defense industries because good preparation was needed to maintain high-technology systems and it took long time to master them.

“We cannot produce it [the MBT] in three years. The technology isn’t simple,” he said, admitting that the service would also buy the MBTs from Germany.

The Indonesian Army said it needed to modernize its weapons systems with MBTs because it only had light tanks such as the British-made Scorpion and French-made AMX13, which weighed 8 and 14 tons respectively.

Initially, Indonesia planned to buy German-made MBTs at a discounted price as the Dutch government was implementing harsh defense budget cutbacks that included disbanding its armored divisions in the wake of the economic downturn in Europe.

The plan was to buy 50 units of the 2A4 and another 50 units of the 2A6 variants of the MBT at a total price of US$280 including the cost of upgrading the A4 variant to the A6 standard.

The plan, however, is reportedly on the brink of collapsing due to the Dutch parliament’s indecisive stance on the issue. The GreenLeft minority political party in the Dutch parliament voiced its concerns over selling the MBTs to Indonesia, claiming that there was a possibility of the MBTs being used to suppress human rights in Indonesia.

On Tuesday, Defense Deputy Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said the ministry had given the Dutch until the end of March to decide whether or not to sell its surplus Leopard MBTs, after which Indonesia would look for other sources.

Besides the Dutch and the German governments, Russia reportedly has offered its T90 tank to the Indonesian government, which already earmarked Rp 150 trillion (US$16.41 billion) until 2014 for modernizing its weaponry to meet the so-called minimum essential force (MEF). (sat/nvn)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/03...est-option.html

hehehe

overprice plane with downgrade performance..

now this is real songlap
hahhaha

its either to add more budget to meet its requirement or lower the performance requirement by the pentagon.

S-500 the king of all SAM system?


This post has been edited by yinchet: Mar 10 2012, 04:33 PM

either way they are screwed!

no choice mah Mother Russia is on the rise with PAKFA. NATO counter part you know lar.

not to forget the Shenyang too.

Last surviving soldier of Bukit Candu encounter left to fend for himself



KUALA LUMPUR: The last surviving soldier to have fought in the battle of Bukit Candu, Singapore, during the Japanese invasion in the Second World War in February 1942 is now living alone in Sikamat, Seremban.

Private Ujang Mormin, 91, is left to fend for himself after his wife died two years ago while two of his three children have also died, and another could not be traced.

“I'm now surviving on a RM200 pension after retiring from the Prisons Department,” he said after receiving a Pingat Jasa Malaysia from Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Ha-midi at the Sungai Besi Camp here yesterday.

Ujang was one of 42 men from the First Malay Regiment, headed by the legendary Lt Adnan Saidi, who made their final stand against the Japanese onslaught on Bukit Candu.

Serving the army for seven years from 1941, Ujang said he retreated downhill under heavy Japanese artillery fire and did not see how Lt Adnan was gunned down.

“One of the soldiers, who retreated with me, was hit by a bomb shrapnel and died.

“It saddened me when I dug up a grave to bury him,” he said with tears.

As the Japanese strengthened their stranglehold on Singapore, Ujang was ordered to return to his hometown by his superior but he chose to hide in the jungle on the island before he was adopted by a family.

He stayed with the family for two months before returning to Rembau, Negri Sembilan, after Singapore fell to the Japanese.

Ujang was also awarded a War Medal and a Pacific Star Medal by the British government. - Bernama

one question

is Aludra UAV male or female?

MALE

^thanks dude

I hope this thing can transform into macross or mospeada

This post has been edited by yinchet: Mar 13 2012, 04:08 PM

drool.....

^ Dalam KIV wont be buying anytime soon. perhaps next RMK or after GE.
btw do they still have budget for these?
it is a very major buying even bigger than MRCA, IMO.
would there be any escort ship will added in?

Does it logic for the small boat to mount a minigun?
What if the minigun get contact or masuk water?
will spoil or not?