Armed Forces takes delivery of new arms
Armed Forces takes delivery of new arms
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) has began
taking delivery of some of the weapons it ordered as part of the
military's modernization drive.
ABRI Chief of General Affairs Lt. Gen. Soeyono said that 26 of
the 52 retrofitted Scorpion tanks ordered from Britain and 300
Mercedes army trucks from Germany are among the newest arrivals.
The other 26 Scorpion tanks will arrive in January, Soeyono
told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Some of the Scorpion tanks were displayed at the just
concluded 1995 Military Exhibition held at the Jakarta Fairground
in Kemayoran district. The new tanks are retrofitted with
sophisticated radar, a 1.05mm canon and newly-designed lamps.
Soeyono said that Indonesia has also ordered modern gun and
air radar equipment from France, Britain and Germany. The
equipment will arrive early in 1996.
"The new guns are for the Army, while the radar will be used
by the Air Force," he said.
Another plan still under negotiation is for the purchase of
nine F-16 fighter jets from the United States, Soeyono said.
Indonesia has expressed interest in taking some of the 28 F-
16s that were originally intended for Pakistan.
"The planes are new. But we cannot buy them all, because ABRI
has no funds to do so," he said.
Soeyono said Indonesia is still waiting for the delivery of
the last four of 39 retrofitted warships it ordered from the
arsenals of former East Germany. These should be arriving within
the next eight months, he added.
The general declined to disclose the total amount of money the
Armed Forces has to pay for its new weapons. He said only that
the equipment is not being paid for out of ABRI's budget, which
just barely covers recurrent spending and maintenance of its
equipment.
In another military development, 16 senior officers were
promoted in rank yesterday in anticipation of ABRI's coming 50th
anniversary.
The 16 reported for duty to ABRI Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung at
his office yesterday morning.
The most senior of them was Sofyan Effendi, who was recently
appointed as the new governor of the National Resilience
Institute. He was promoted to lieutenant general.
Sofyan has also been appointed as commander of ABRI's 50th
anniversary ceremony and military parade to be held at the Halim
Perdanakusuma military base on Oct. 5. He will be the most senior
officer to ever command such a ceremony. In the past, such a task
was given to an officer holding the rank of colonel.
Among the officers to be promoted to the rank of major general
include chief of the Trikora Military Command, Dunidja, chief of
the Army Infantry Arms Center, Rachmat Mokoginta, and assistant
for personnel to the ABRI chief of general affairs, A. Djalal
Bahtiar. (rms)