The international cooperation is in accordance with the government`s plan to modernize the country`s main armament system (Alutsista) in order to optimally support the National Defense Forces in carrying out its tasks to protect the national land, maritime and air territories.
In a limited cabinet meeting held on September 8, 2011, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono gave directives that priority should be given to domestic manufacturers in the procurement of Alutsista hardware for the Indonesian military (TNI) and Police.
However, Alutsista hardware could be purchased from other countries if domestic manufacturers were still unable the produce the armaments concerned, he said.
"If no company at home, including PT PAL, Pindad, DI , LEN and others has full capacity to produce the needed equipment, efforts should be made to establish cooperation like joint production, joint investment with similar manufacturers of other countries," he said.
The need to establish cooperation with other countries having the potential to become arms suppliers has been emphasized since Indonesia has learned a lesson from the US arms embargo in 2005.
"We seek new partners for the provision of weaponry without leaving our old partners for the diversification of arms supply sources," President Yudhoyono said several years ago.
Since then, Russia has become an important partner in the procurement of TNI`s main armament system hardware. Russia supplied among other things Sukhoi jet fighters and Mi-17 V5 helicopters to Indonesia.
Furthermore, Indonesia and Russia have begun exploring the possibility of bilateral defense industry cooperation by way of joint production and transfer of technology schemes.
Russia is exploring the possibility of making tanks in cooperation with Indonesia`s arms and ammunition manufacturer PT Pindad and doing the regular maintenance of M1-35 helicopters with Indonesia`s aircraft maker PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI).
"We are drafting a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with PT Pindad, while with PT Dirgantara we have already finalized an MOU to be signed soon by both parties," Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Alexander Ivanov said in Jakarta, on Tuesday (September 20, 2011).
With Indonesia`s ship-building company PT PAL , Russia was exploring the possibility of cooperating in the production of certain types of naval equipment and weapons.
Indonesian Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said cooperation in the defense industry field with Russia was a good proposition because Russia was fully self-reliant in military hardware.
Recently, Indonesian Deputy Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin was on an overseas trip taking him to Germany, Spain and France from Sept 12 to 18, 2011, to promote defense cooperation with the European countries.
Accompanied by the president directors of PT Pindad and PTDI, Sjafrie said his visit to Europe was also made within the framework of modernization of Indonesian military equipment in line with a decree of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on a wish to revitalize Indonesian military equipment.
Sjafrie would explore cooperation in joint weapon production and purchases with Germany, France and Spain, Indonesian Defense Attache in Paris Colonel Erwin Buana Utama told ANTARA (Sept 16).
Fllowing a meeting with his French counterpart Marc Laffineur in Paris, Sjafrie said on Sunday (Sept 18) that his visit to Paris was basically to promote defense cooperation with France and to secure the signing of the concept between the two heads of state in the Partnership Cooperation Agreement by the defense ministers of the two countries in November 2011.
The former personal guard of President Soeharto said the meeting covered important five parts in the agreement document which would be signed, namely a defense strategy dialog, intelligence exchange, capacity building, peacekeeping and defense industry.
Earlier, during their stay in Germany, the Indonesian officials visited Heckler and Koch weapon manufacturer in Oberndorf, near Stuttgart, and Rheinmetall automotive and defense company located near Hannover.
Indonesian Military Attache in Germany Colonel Fachri Adamy on a separate occasion said in the meeting with Rheinmetall`s management, they explored about joint production and purchases of armaments.
Rheinmetall was committed to help the modernization of the Indonesian military equipment. The Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) has received a export credit priority to modernize its equipment from 2012 to 2014.
Earlier this month In Jakarta, Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro signed an agreement on defense cooperation with his Serbian counterpart, Dragan Sutanovac.
The two ministers agreed to enhance defense cooperation to cover strategic policies, logistics support, defense industry, education and training.
In addition, the two countries would also intensify cooperation in the procurement of military armament systems covering technology and technical assistance as well as cooperation in defense industry, he said.
Purnomo said military cooperation with Serbia would have promising prospects in view of Serbian weaponry and ammunition industries` capability.
"This serves as an alternative for us to explore the possibility of cooperation in the transfer of technology that will allow us to improve the trial launch of LAPAN (National Aeronautics and Space Agency) rocket and the trial of Pindad-made artillery mortar," Minister Purnomo said on September 13, 2011.
South Korea is another very important partner of Indonesia in defense cooperation.
Minister Purnomo in a seminar on mutual development on defense industry cooperation in Jakarta on September 9, 2011, said Indonesia could take South Korea as an example in how it had learned in stages from US defense industry in its efforts to develop its industry
"It is for the two countries` progress and at the same time proof of how close the relations between Indonesia and South Korea are so that Indonesia can later learn from South Korea with regard to our efforts to become self-reliant," Purnomo said.
Witnessed by Purnomo and his South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan-jin, the Indonesian defense ministry`s Director General of Defense Potentials Pos Hutabarat and South Korea`s Director of Forces Policy Lee Yong Dae, signed a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation, in particular defense industry, in Jakarta on September 9, 2011.
Both nations agreed to jointly produce landing platform dock (LPD) ships and submarines between PT PAL shipbuilding company and Daewoo Shipbuilding. The defense industry cooperation also includes transfer of technology .
Indonesia and South Korea also talked about possibilities to produce KFX/IF-X fighters. Indonesia is also exploring possibilities to buy T-50 jet fighters from South Korea, while South Korea is interested in buying CN-235 aircraft from Indonesia.
In March 2011, Indonesia and China agreed to strengthen their defense cooperation, including in the joint production of missiles.
Spokesman of the Indonesian Defense Ministry Brig. Gen. I Wayan Midhio said last March that Indonesia and China had paved the way for going ahead with the joint-missile production.
Indonesia was already using Chinese-made C-802 missiles, he said when speaking to newsmen after witnessing the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the two countries` technical cooperation in the defense sector in Jakarta.
The MoU was signed by Deputy Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Head of the Chinese Technological and Industrial Development Agency Chen Qiufa.
"We have agreed on a possible joint-missile production in the future through PT.Pindad (strategic weaponry industry)," he said.
The MoU highlighted such points of cooperation as supplying military equipments, transfer of technology of certain military equipment, joint-marketing, as well as upgrading and training programs, he said.
Indonesia has also been exploring cooperation in defense industry with India.
Last January, Brigadier General I Wayan Medhio, a spokesman of the Indonesian defense ministry, said the Indian defense industry was much more advanced than Indonesia`s, especially in the chemical, electronic, mechanical and logistics industries.
"They have even capable of manufacturing missiles, submarines and aircraft carriers. We are still exploring cooperation in defense industry between both nations," he said during a visit by Indian Naval Chief of Staff Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma in Jakarta, in January 2011, to explore cooperation between the two countries.
Within the ASEAN context, Minister Purnomo in May 2011 said ASEAN defense ministers were mulling to formulate a concept of defense collaboration that would embrace the region`s defense industries.
"ASEAN is a big market for weaponry systems. Imagine, if all members have succeeded in developing their defense industries, we will be able to produce our own defense equipment and no longer be net importers," said the minister.(*)
HAJM/F001
Reporter: Fardah
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
