DTN News: Indonesian Navy Gets 10 Landing Craft From South Korea

DTN News: Indonesian Navy Gets 10 Landing Craft From South Korea *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) JAKARTA, Indonesia - December 9, 2009: The Navy received 10 amphibious assault vehicles donated by South Korea at a ceremony at Tanjung Priok harbor on Monday, marking improving ties between the two nations and giving the Indonesian military a boost, officials said.

“The 10 tanks were previously used by the South Korean military. They overhauled the tanks, including the engines, before handing them over to us,” Navy spokesman First Adm. Iskandar Sitompul said.

The LVT-7A1 amphibious tanks were manufactured in 1983 by a South Korean arms contractor. Air Vice Marshal Sagom Tamboen, a spokesman for the Indonesian Armed Forces, said the gift of military hardware showed that ties with South Korea were warming, especially in the field of defense. “The relationship between us is very good, especially in arms purchases and transfer of technology,” Tamboen said. “The South Korean government is also expecting us to cooperate on arms manufacturing with them.” Sitompul said South Korea was planning to send 20 more amphibious tanks to the Navy.

The remaining assault vehicles, Sitompul added, were being overhauled before being shipped to ensure they were 90 percent fit for operations. He declined to comment on a delivery date. Sitompul said the amphibious tanks would be used by the Indonesian Marine Corps (Kormar), which is in dire need of landing craft.

A military source told the Jakarta Globe that Kormar had approximately 130 landing vehicles, but that only 30 percent of them were operational. Sitompul said the Marines would also receive 17 BMP 3F amphibious tanks purchased from Russia as part of a $1 billion loan agreement signed between the two countries in 2006.

“We hope the presence of 17 new BMP 3F amphibious tanks will strengthen our military,” he said. Sitompul did not provide a delivery date for the Russian tanks. Amid the influx of new hardware, the Navy was evaluating whether to dispose of most of Kormar’s aging tanks, especially the BTR 50s, the majority of tanks used by the Marines, Sitompul said. “New tanks like the LVT have better capability in terms of speed and power,” he said.