Indonesia and India are planning to jointly produce military
equipment and maintain their common Russian-made hardware with a
bill on the cooperation set to be deliberated soon, a report said
Thursday.
The joint arms industry plan has won support of the House of
Representatives, which is preparing a bill on the defense
cooperation with India, reported English daily The Jakarta
Post.
Military analyst Andi Widjojanto from the University of
Indonesia said the agreement would strategically develop the local
defense industry and create many opportunities for technology
transfer.
"India has a license from Russia to produce its equipment, so we
can be sure that we're working with a very reliable source," he was
quoted as saying.
Indonesia has agreed to buy Russian weapons worth US$1 billion
during the next five years, covering among other things Sukhoi
jetfighters and submarines.
House defense commission member Afifuddin Thaib said the
cooperation with India is of huge importance as Indonesia is in the
need to strengthen its defense system amid the growing global
security threats.
(Xinhua News Agency November 30, 2006)
