Indonesia may purchase Russian amphibious planes, submarines — ambassador

Project 636.3 submarine © Alexandr Demyanchuk/TASS ★

Indonesia plans to purchase amphibious planes and submarines from Russia, Indonesian Ambassador to Moscow Mohamad Wahid Supriyadi told TASS on Monday.

"We really plan to purchase amphibious planes developed by the Sukhoi design bureau and Kilo-class submarines from Russia," the diplomat said.

"We’re working on these purchases," he said.

"Relevant Russian specialists will be invited to Indonesia," he added.

According to the Indonesian diplomat, Jakarta is interested in developing military and technical cooperation with Russia.

"Russian products in the sphere of the defense and industrial sector are no inferior to Western analogs. It is worth noting Russia’s considerable successes in the sphere of military and technical cooperation," the ambassador said.

"We hope for close interaction in this field," he added.

In reply to TASS’ specifying question later, the ambassador said Indonesia wanted to buy two Russian submarines.

The Russian submarines referred to the Kilo-class by NATO’s classification are Project 636 Varshavyanka diesel-electric submarines. As Vladimir Yereschenko, chief, regional department, Rosoboronexport, has told TASS at the Defence Services Asia 2016 arms show (DSA 2016), the Project 636.3 and Amur-1650 submarines, Project 11356 (Krivak-V-class) and Gepard-3.9 (Gepard) frigates and shipborne weapons are the most promising for promotion in Asia-Pacific.

It was reported earlier on Monday that Russia was ready to start the deliveries of the Be-200ChS amphibious plane produced by the Taganrog-based Beriyev Aircraft Company to Indonesia.

"We hope that the contact with Indonesia will be one of the first contracts in the sphere of military and technical cooperation. We note great interest from foreign buyers. This interest is explained by the plane’s uniqueness and its capabilities. This is the sole amphibian jet with such functions," president of Russia’s United Aircraft-Manufacturing Corporation (UAC) Yuri Slyusar told TASS, adding that Thailand was also displaying interest in the plane.

The Be-200ChS multipurpose plane is designed to fight fires, provide emergency aid in the areas hit by natural disasters, carry out search and rescue operations at water, make sanitary and freight carriages and monitor the environment. As the UAC press office told TASS, potential customers from South-East Asian countries were displaying interest both in the plane’s fire-fighting capacity and its capabilities to carry out patrol and search operations at sea.

  ♞ Tass