Purchase Confirmed, Navy Waits for Three New Ships

NR Class (Panorama)

Jakarta ♼ The Indonesian Naval Army will soon acquire three multi-role light frigate warships. The first ship is scheduled to arrive in June 2014 followed by the second and third ship scheduled to arrive three months later.

"These warships are new," said Rear Admiral Ade Supandi, Planning Assistant of the Navy Chief of Staff in Jakarta yesterday.

The government's plan to purchase warships was previously rejected by Comission I of the House of Representatives on September. According to Commission I Deputy Chief Tubagus Hasanuddin, the ships were supposed to be bought by Brunei Darussalam, which later canceled their purchase because the ships' specifications have been lowered.

Former Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Soeparno, claimed that the three ships were a good bargain considering that the Navy only have to spend US$380 million while Brunei was supposed to bought them for US$600 million.

  ♞ Tempo