Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine October 2014 | Page 107

Explore | Interview

105

“Indonesia has a clear policy: armaments and
military equipment must be independently
produced and procured by Indonesia,” said
Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro. This policy
was instated as part of Presidential Regulation
No. 59/2013 concerning the organisation,
administration and secretariat of the Komite
Kebijakan Industri Pertahanan (KKIP or
Defence Industry Policy Committee), a body
tasked with formulating, coordinating,
implementing and controlling national
policies on the defence industry. As a result
there has been a strong surge of momentum
i n the nation’s defence industry to fulfil the
needs of the country’s military and police.
“KKIP determines the policies of the defence
industry, including the policy on the use of
export credit and loans from abroad to
facilitate the purchase of primary weaponry
and defence systems. This committee also
sets priorities for the defence industry with
regard to research and development,”
explained the defence minister.
The Ministry of Defence has stated that one
of its goals is to achieve complete product
independence in supplying arms to TNI by
2029. To achieve this target, the Indonesian
government is making great efforts to
rapidly boost the development of national
industries, especially the defence industry.
Many state-owned enterprises are directly
involved in this initiative, PT Dahana, PT
Dirgantara Indonesia, PT Pindad, PT LEN,
and PT PAL, along with several private
defence companies.
“The Indonesian defence industry
has shown excellent tangible results in
developing primary weaponry and defence
systems for land, air and sea,” said Purnomo
Yusgiantoro. Such milestones include the
proprietary Senapan Serbu (assault rifle),
munitions and Smart Bomb F-16 that were
conceived and produced for military and
police use by PT Pindad, a state-owned
defence company specialising in land
weaponry and defence systems. PT Pindad
also produced the Panser APS-3 ‘Anoa’,
an armoured personnel carrier that has been
deployed several times by TNI in peacekeeping
missions in conflict zones as a part of its
cooperation with the United Nations.
Primary weaponry and defence systems at
sea have been developed by PT PAL,
including the 40m and 60m Kapal Cepat
Rudal (KCR or fast missile boats) and landing
platform dock (LPD), which has attracted
interest from surrounding Southeast Asian
countries. The military-grade light carrier

The prospects for
Indonesia’s defence
industry are very positive,
especially with such great
regulatory support from
the government.

aircraft CN-235 is also self-produced by PT
Dirgantara Indonesia for TNI, as well as
exported to several countries. “In the future,
the Indonesian defence industry will not only
be independent, but it will also contribute to
the security of other nations through the
export of defence products,” said Purnomo
Yusgiantoro, commenting on the long-term
plans of KKIP.
“The prospects for Indonesia’s defence
industry are very positive, especially with
such great regulatory support from the
government. Our defence products have
been developed to a standard that is
competitive with foreign products, and
they are currently used by other countries,
with more taking notice,” said the minister,
who hopes that the running blueprints
and strategic thinking that have been laid
out are not hindered as a result of transitions
in government.

Closing the interview that afternoon,
Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro shared
his thoughts on how he hopes superior
national defence will impact national
tourism. “Hopefully with improving national
defence, tourism can increase along with
the feeling of safety and security when
visiting Indonesia.”

A PKR-105 warship designed and
developed by PT PAL.
The military-grade light carrier
aircraft CN-235, designed and developed
by PT Dirgantara Indonesia, has been
exported to several foreign countries.