REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia is expected to master military technology and produce military equipment to meet its own needs, Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu stated.
"We are a big country and will increasingly become bigger in the future. We have been able to assemble (military equipment). In future, we are not going to assemble but produce military equipment, such as aircraft and submarines," stated Ryamizard.
He made the statement after attending the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement between state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) on Friday.
According to the defense minister, in the next ten years, Indonesia will be able to produce modern 4.5 generation aircraft.
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"We have 4th generation aircraft. What is important is that we master its technology first as we are a big country and will be able to produce our own aircraft," the defense minister.
He pointed out that the cooperation agreement between PT DI and KAI was signed after it cleared a process with different technical and administrative constraints. It included overcoming investment problems and lengthy negotiations to reach the agreement.
"The agreement is the first strategic step between the two defense industries, particularly PT DI," he remarked.
In the agreement held in the framework of the Business to Business scheme, PT DI and KAI will cooperate in the production of KFX/IFX aircraft, including their maintenance, modification, and renewal.
The other cooperation is the implementation of the Engineering Management and Development, which will be carried out simultaneously by the two sides in line with their respective capacity and credibility.
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