Defense Ministry shows off locally made weapons

Technicians work on the assembly of an Anoa armored personnel carrier (APC) at state-owned PT Pindad's factory in Bandung, West Java. [JP/Arya Dipa] ★

The Defense Ministry showcased 15 newly launched items of defense equipment produced by local manufacturers on Tuesday, which will be used to support primary weapons defense systems for the Indonesian Military (TNI).

The locally engineered products consist of seven items for the Navy, four for the Army and four for the Air Force; all of which were the result of the government’s Rp 86 billion (US$6.45 million) defense industry development program throughout last year.

The equipment varied from mortar support for the Army to a swamp boat for the Navy. The products were from state-owned weapons manufacturer PT Pindad and several local private companies.

The development program is part of government's efforts at weapons modernization and to allow Indonesia to become gradually independent of foreign producers, Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said.

“All of them were made by the sons and daughters of this country. We must support and continuously develop them to build our national defense capability,” he said in his office on Tuesday.

“In the coming years, we will be able to make our own fighter jets and submarines,” he added.

Ryamizard further lauded the locally engineered defense equipment saying that such products would not only positively impact on local producers but were also in line with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s policy of nourishing the domestic defense industry.

  ♞ The Jakarta Post