Looks like a tank, moves like a tank, shoots like a tank. Why tf won't they call it one?
At that weight class I think our army could use something like that.

doesn't "tank" hits like a tank
20mm punches right through it
it's meant to be an assault gun actually, basically a modern Sturmgeschütz III

A Sturmgeschütz III doesn't have a moving turret. I'm guessing the US military's refusal to call the Booker a tank has more to do with procurement politics.

no, it's mission statement is more or less exactly the same as a Stug III

the turret isn't really important

PTDI Agrees to Collaborate with Lockheed Martin, Supports Plan to Procure Multipurpose Transport Helicopters of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense

Aug 23, 2023 - 11:24



President Director of PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI), Gita Amperiawan and Vice President of Global Business Development Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin Company, Jeff White, signed the Head of Agreement (HOA) regarding the procurement of Sikorsky S-70M Black Hawk Helicopters for the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, witnessed Indonesian Minister of Defense, Prabowo Subianto and Deputy Minister of BUMN RI, Rosan Roeslani at the Lockheed Martin facility, Washington.

As a defense industry under Holding Defend ID, PTDI is ready to support the Indonesian Ministry of Defense to carry out the procurement of the said helicopter.

In this case, PTDI entered into a strategic partnership with Sikorsky to jointly build a national industry in order to meet the needs of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense.

"This agreement shows our joint commitment with PTDI to provide S-70M Black Hawk helicopters to serve Indonesia's security needs," said President Sikorsky, Paul Lemmo, Wednesday (23/8/2023).

"The Black Hawk is designed and built to the toughest military standards, and can quickly and reliably deliver personnel and supplies to geographically dispersed populations in large archipelagos such as Indonesia." he continued.

HOA is used as a basis for cooperation between the two parties, where in the future Sikorsky will support and authorize PTDI to carry out assembly of the main system; operations (inspection, ground and production flight testing); modification; and system upgrades.

"We believe this strategic collaboration between PTDI and Sikorsky will result in added value obtained for PTDI's capabilities in integration, customization, modification and system improvement for helicopter completion. Furthermore, this collaboration allows PTDI to be able to carry out MRO on the Sikorsky S-70M Black Hawk Helicopter, along with its systems and engines. Apart from that, by becoming the official Sikorsky supplier, PTDI can also develop its aerostructure business," said Gita Amperiawan, Main Director of PTDI.

With this collaboration, it is hoped that it will provide positive results for both parties and achieve the completion of the helicopter program until it is handed over to the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, as well as open up greater opportunities for other business collaborations with Lockheed Martin in the future.

It's still a light tank by any other conventional definition. This one is in the same class as a CV90120-T and that one is classified as a light tank. In the end we just have to accept whatever US wants to call it.

Indonesia Emerges As First F-15EX Export Customer

Indonesia plans to follow up its purchase of French-made Rafale jets with as many as 24 F-15EX derivatives.

BY THOMAS NEWDICK
PUBLISHED AUG 22, 2023 5:34 PM EDT



Indonesia is set to be the first export operator of the F-15EX Eagle II multirole fighter, after formally committing to buying up to 24 of the jets from Boeing. While the deal still needs to be signed off by the U.S. government, that will likely be a formality, since the U.S. State Department previously approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Indonesia of an F-15EX derivative known as the F-15ID, as you can read more about here. The version now has been renamed F-15IND, although it’s unclear if this configuration involves any differences, significant or otherwise, beyond some U.S. specific equipment being removed.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the purchase of up to 24 F-15IND jets was signed in St. Louis, Missouri yesterday — the location of the F-15 production facility — by Air Vice Marshal Yusuf Jauhari, the Head of Defense Facilities Agency at the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, and Mark Sears, Boeing Fighters vice president and program manager.

Also in attendance was Indonesia’s Minister of Defense, Prabowo Subianto, who had a tour of the F-15 production line. This included a photo opportunity in the cockpit of an F-15 carrying his name below the cockpit.

“We are pleased to announce our commitment to procure the critical F-15EX fighter capability for Indonesia,” Subianto said. He added: “This state-of-the-art fighter will protect and secure our nation with its advanced capabilities.”

As for the configuration of the F-15IND, it’s noteworthy that Boeing and Indonesian officials speak of this version and the F-15EX interchangeably.

In its press release, Boeing describes the F-15EX as “the most advanced version of the F-15 ever built, with digital fly-by-wire flight controls, a new electronic warfare system, an all-glass digital cockpit, and the latest mission systems and software capabilities,” before noting that these “will all be leveraged in delivering the new F-15IDN.”

Aug 21, 2023
A Republic of Indonesia delegation, led by Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto (center), shared the country’s commitment to procuring F-15EX during a recent visit to Boeing’s St. Louis facility. Indonesia has chosen F-15EX to advance their capabilities for the future. (Boeing photo)
Read more: https://boeing.mediaroom.com/news-releases-...nts?item=131310

Keel Laying Ceremony of Indonesian Navy Arrowhead 140 Frigate (Merah Putih Frigate) at PT PAL facility. Credit to PT PAL & R4duga.

The FMS recipients of AMRAAMs under this contract are Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

Indonesia’s Purchase Of F-15EX Fighters Is A Breakthrough For Boeing And The Biden Administration

Loren Thompson
Senior Contributor

Aug 29, 2023,10:35am EDT

The August 21 announcement that Indonesia will buy 24 F-15EX fighters from BoeingBA -0.3% is a breakthrough for the nation’s biggest aerospace company, and a further success for the Biden administration’s strategy of strengthening ties in the Indo-Pacific region.

Indonesia, with a population of 280 million, is the world’s third largest democracy (after India and the US). In dollar terms it has the world’s 16th largest economy, but adjusting for the domestic purchasing power of the Indonesian currency, it actually ranks among the top ten economies.

Geopolitically, the island nation occupies a strategic position astride major shipping routes in Southeast Asia, and is a source of critical minerals such as nickel.

Although somewhat buffered from Beijing’s aggressive policies in the South China Sea by Malaysia and the Philippines, Jakarta has had its share of run-ins with the Chinese Navy and now is moving to strengthen its military.

The F-15EX will play a pivotal role in that move, because the twin-engine fighter is capable of carrying 15 tons of external ordnance and fuel to a combat range of 800 miles. That far outclasses the payload and range of the country’s single-engine fighters. F-15 also offers the advantage of never having been defeated in combat.

As the map above indicates, Indonesia faces an unusual challenge in defending its territory, which consists of 17,000 islands scattered across millions of square miles of ocean. It gets along well with most of its neighbors, but like other countries in the region has become concerned with China’s increasingly assertive foreign policy.

This has provided an opening for the Biden administration to cement relations with the nation, completing a chain of partnerships with all of the democracies in the region.

Biden administration strategy for the Indo-Pacific stresses the importance of regional partnerships, and it has made steady progress in isolating China—thanks in large part to Beijing’s heavy-handed dealings with local governments.

None of this, though, required Jakarta to buy the F-15. It could have opted for other tactical aircraft, and in fact had previously entered a deal to buy Rafale fighters from the French company Dassault. The decision to buy the EX, also known as Eagle II, thus qualifies as a significant marketing achievement for Boeing Defense.

The US State Department disclosed in February of 2022 that Indonesia was contemplating purchase of up to 36 F-15EX at a projected price of $13.9 billion, presumably including the cost of spare parts and other support.

The deal announced August 21 was for 24 of the fighters, but industry sources say the number will likely reach at least 36 once budget constraints are resolved in coming years.

Black Arrow – the Turkish Delights

4 September 2023 Marhalim Abas


Roketsan Karaok anti-tank guided missile. Roketsan.

SHAH ALAM: In early June, Malaysian Defence reported that five bidders have been shortlisted for the tender of 18 Anti-Tank Guided Weapon Medium Range (ATGW-MR) which was published on April 18. It was supposed to close on May 18 but the deadline was extended to June 1.

From the story: The lowest bidder is RM42.075 million; followed by RM42.322 million; RM44.550 million; RM44.736 million and highest RM46.673.

Malaysian Defence can reveal today that the winner of the tender is the Roketsan Karaok. Roketsan said the

Man Portable Short-Range Fire-and-Forget Anti- Tank Guided Missile KARAOK is a system that is effective at both day and night due to its Imaging Infrared Seeker.


Roketsan Karaok ATGW-MR with its CLU and specifications. Roketsan

From the specificications above one will know that the Karaok is the shortest range ATGW-MR selected out of the other four bidders. The specifications of the tender (edited for brevity):

There is a requirement for the Anti-Tank Platoon of Infantry Battalion to be equipped with Anti-Tank Guided Weapon Medium Range (ATGW-MR) which is capable to engage and destroy enemy armour and heavily fortified bunker at a distance between 2000 m to 4000 m.

Penetration Capability. It shall be able to defeat ERA and subsequently main armour plate at least 900 mm RHA with BAE to inflict casualty to crew and vehicle.

Attack Capability. It shall have Top Attack Mode and Direct Attack Mode.

Effective Range. It shall be between 2000 m to 4000 m.
Guidance System. It shall be Imaging Infrared (IIR) homing guidance with cooled or uncooled system to provide better imagery.

Warhead. It shall be tandem shaped charge.

Quantity of Missile. At least one (1) missile foe each launcher.

Weight of Complete System. It shall be not more than 25 kg.
Guidance System. It shall have Automatic Command Line of Sight (ACLOS) fire and forget guidance system.

Reliability. It shall be highly reliable when used in any environment.

Observation and Launching Unit (OLU). Minimum 15 years.
Missile. Minimum 10 years.

The 18 Roketsan Karaok ATGW-MR system purchased will come with six missiles for each launcher. The package should also include one indoor simulator; three outdoor simulators; three cut-open missile that expose its components and test equipment. The only other known user of the Karaok is the Turkish Army.