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| Leopard 2A5 (Wiki info - Image: Wiki Commons) |
By ALBRECHT MÜLLER
BONN — The Indonesian government is saying that it is buying Leopard 2 main battle tanks, Marder infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and support tanks from Germany. It expects the first shipment before the end of this year.
“All the political and administrative processes are complete, we are in the production phase,” Deputy Defense Secretary Sjafrie Sjamsuddin told dpa news agency in Jakarta on Oct. 30.
The tanks would be used vehicles and bought by an armament company, which modernizes the vehicles and resells them. Indonesia names Düsseldorf-based Rheinmetall as its contract partner. The deal is supposed be worth around 216 million euros ($280 million).
Rheinmetall already delivers the tank’s 120mm smoothbore gun, the fire control technology, the C4I systems and ammunition of the Leopard 2.
“Like we already did in the past, we will not comment publicly on possible customer relations,” a spokesman of the Düsseldorf-based company said when asked about any possible tank deals between his company and Indonesia.
“We are buying Leopard 2A4 and Leopard 2 Revolution models that are already modified and have new armaments,” Sjafrie told The Jakarta Post on Oct. 31: “We can use them as soon as they arrive.”
Read the full story at DefenseNews