RI to purchase 20 used Nomads from Australia

RI to purchase 20 used Nomads from Australia

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Navy plans to buy a fleet of 20
Nomad aircraft from Australia.

Navy Chief Vice Admiral Arief Kushariadi said yesterday that
the deal was struck in a talk between Indonesian Minister of
Defense and Security Gen. (ret) Edi Sudradjat and his Australian
counterpart Ian McLachlan in Surabaya on Thursday.

"We will get a lot of aircraft," he said after attending a
celebration of the 51st anniversary of the Marine Corps here
yesterday.

Arief did not mention the exact number of aircraft to be
purchased but Antara quoted the Indonesian defense attache in
Canberra saying that Jakarta means to buy 20 Nomads.

The Indonesian navy has operated Nomad N-22s since 1976 to
patrol exclusive economic zones.

AFP quoted McLachlan as saying Thursday that the twin
turboprop aircraft were "retired from the Australian Defense
Forces service in 1995 after they became unsuitable for continued
military use."

McLahlan said the sale was subject to final price negotiations
and a final inspection of the aircraft, which are in storage at
the army's aviation center at Oakey in the Australian state of
Queensland.

"Indonesia is interested in the aircraft for maritime
surveillance, a role in which it already uses 18 Nomad aircraft
acquired from Australia in the 1970s," he said.

According to the Australian minister, maritime surveillance
was "well within" the approved performance limitations of the
Nomad aircraft "in contrast to the demanding role the aircraft
had in the ADF (Australian Defense Forces)," McLachlan said.

Arief said the navy plans to recruit 3,000 more personnel to
the elite Marine Corps to strengthen the navy.

"We hope we will be able to dispatch three battalions of
landing teams in three trouble spots at the same time," he said.

He said that the navy will selecting the 3,000 personnel from
navy members in the provinces. "Our war ships have set sail to
fetch them," he said.

The 3,000 marines are to replace retiring marines, he said. In
addition the navy will recruit another 2,500 to be posted in
various units.

Arief also reported that as President Soeharto recently
requested, the navy has prepared a ship to take home Indonesian
workers who work illegally in Malaysia.

"The ship is ready. We are waiting for orders to leave for
Malaysia," he said. He said the navy also makes its ships
available to ferry people and goods between Sumatra and Java in
emergencies. (pan)