Russia Observes Expanded Military Exports to Indonesia

BMP3F Marinir

Russian arms companies quickly announced positive contract negotiations at the Indo Defence 2014 Expo & Forum, which opened in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday, with one company, Rosoboronexport, announcing it had signed a contract on the first day of the exhibition.

Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport announced that it had signed a contract with Indonesia on a trial supply of the AK-100 series of the Kalashnikov assault rifle. "We have signed a contract here [in Jakarta], a small contract, but it's valuable. A firm buys rifles to test them under the country's conditions, and promises larger orders," Rosoboronexport's special projects director Nikolai Dimidiuk told RIA Novosti.

Rosoboronexport also plans supply around 50 BMP-3F infantry fighting vehicles, specially designed for sea-going operations. As of 2014, 54 of the vehicles were already in use by Indonesia's Marine Corps.

The Russian arms exporter also said it is ready to supply up to three submarines to Indonesia. These could be either Varshavyanka-class or Amur-class diesel-electric submarines, currently the only Russian submarines available for export.

According to Dimidiuk, Indonesia also expressed interest in Su-35 Flanker fighters, 4++ generation fighters using fifth-generation technology.

Cooperation on munitions with Indonesia could also be deepened, foreign economic activity department head of Russia's Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (NIMI) Sergei Schukin, told RIA Novosti.

"We communicate with potential customers, which we are seeing now in the face of Indonesians. In the first place in our direction is the ammunition for the BMP-3, 100mm, and also naval munitions. We would like, of course, to expand this cooperation," Schukin said.

He also added that Russian ammunition is famous for its high reliability. "India, despite the fact that the price of ammunition is more expensive than Chinese or Bulgarian, prefers our ammunition. The only negative factor is the high price, but because of the processes that take place in Russia, the price increase is inevitable," the department head said.

The sixth annual Indo Defence Expo & Forum, hosted by Indonesia's Ministry of Defense in the country's capital, runs from November 5 to November 8. Russia is represented by 14 arms companies at the event.

  ★ ria.ru