Navy goes ballistic over missile project

Navy goes ballistic over missile project

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian Navy is sponsoring the development of the first
locally made missile as part of a program to develop an
indigenous defense industry.

In cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Agency
(LAPAN) and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), the Navy
has already paid out a total of Rp 25 billion (US$27 million) to
finance a one-year study into the project. The first prototype of
the missile is expected to be ready in 2006.

"I'm making the project one of my priorities as we (the Navy)
have been relying far too much on other countries to supply our
weaponry. And given the embargo (imposed by the U.S. and its
allies), we can't even maintain our equipment," Navy Chief of
Staff Bernard Kent Sondakh told the press after he and LAPAN
President Mahdi Kartasasmita signed an MoU on the missile project
on Monday.

Bernard declined to disclose the cost of developing the
missile, nor the number of units that would eventually be
procured.

"Basically, the missiles will be installed on our patrol boats
and warships so that they will be able to defend our vast
maritime territory," he said.

Meanwhile, Mahdi said that LAPAN had modified some types of
missiles in the past in collaboration with a number of overseas
countries, but the current project "will be the first ever
locally made missile. It's range will be up to 25 kilometers."

The missile will be called the Sondakh, named in honor of the
Navy chief of staff.

For years, Indonesia has procured its defense equipment from
the United States and France.

Efforts to diversify potential supplier countries recently
started after the Indonesian Military (TNI) faced difficulties in
securing military equipment following the imposition of an
embargo by the United States in 1999 following the mayhem in East
Timor during and after the independence vote there.

In the past, LAPAN developed a number of missiles as part of
the Kartika Project, which was launched by the country's first
president, Soekarno, in the 1960s.

At the time, the project raised the hackles of several Western
countries as Indonesia tended to side with the East Bloc.

"It must be underlined that the current project is far from
being offensive. No, we'll never be like that. It is merely
motivated by our defense interests," Bernard said.

As part of the project, the Navy has also invited arms
producer PT Pindad and aerospace company PT Dirgantara
Indonesian, both located in Bandung, West Java, and the National
Electronics Institute (LEN), to participate.