State arms producer PT Pindad on Friday officially handed over
20 armored personnel carriers (APC) to the Indonesian Military through the
Defense Ministry in Bandung, East
Java, Antara reports.
The ceremony was attended by Pindad president director Adik Avianto Sudarsoan
and Defense Ministry infrastructure director Rear Marshall Eris Herriyanto.
The six-wheeler medium APCs are the first installment of 150 medium APCs, worth
a total of more than Rp 1 trillion (US$84 million), ordered by the government
in 2007.
In his speech at the ceremony, Eris said the Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono expected
Pindad would not to take long to deliver the second installment.
Manufacturing APCS locally is a government program aiming at
overcoming the "old weaponry" problem that has long troubled the
Indonesian Military.
Pindad has received loans from state-owned Bank Mandiri, Bank BNI 46 and Bank
BRI to pay for the manufacture of the vehicles.(dre)
