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tate-owned land-system and weapons maker PT Pindad was optimistic that its latest type of light armored vehicle, called the Badak, could also be marketed in the future to other nations, particularly in Southeast Asia.

The 6X6 Badak, which is currently being showcased at the Indo Defence 2014 in Jakarta, is a joint project with Belgium-based Cockerill Maintenance & Ingenierie SA Defence (CMI).

The Badak is fitted with a locally-built Cockerill 90P turret (90 millimeter) developed by CMI.

The name, Badak, which means rhinoceros, was given to it spontaneously by Vice President Jusuf Kalla when he inspected the vehicle at the exhibition on Wednesday.

The Badak is a modification of Pindad'€™s previous light armored vehicle, the Anoa, which was also named after a native species from the island of Sulawesi.

'€œOf course our main target is the TNI [Indonesian Military] as the user of [the Badak]. Like the Anoa, we are optimistic the Badak can also attract foreign customers, from Southeast Asia for example,'€ Edy Purwanto, Pindad'€™s vice president in charge of Special Vehicles, said during a visit to The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

CMI vice president for Commercial James Caudle, meanwhile, said his company was optimistic the cooperation with Pindad could help expand its business in the region.

'€œCMI understands and accepts the Indonesian government'€™s strategic objectives in terms of resilience and defense. We seek a long-term partnership with Pindad, which is expected to be able to produce, design, modify and maintain complex weapons systems,'€ he said.

Caudle added that CMI had integrated Pindad into its global supply network, in which the state-owned firm would serve as the base of production of CMI'€™s turret for the global market. CMI, on the other hand, would help Pindad sell its products in the world market.

Edy said CMI had committed to transfer its technologies and expertise to Pindad as mandated by the 2012 Law on Defense Industry.

'€œPindad has also been mandated by the law to help TNI meet the 2024 Minimum Essential Forces [MEF]. The Badak is part of the effort,'€ he said.

The Badak is expected to have 40 percent of its components domestically made. Production is planned to begin next year.

The Anoa was one of Pindad'€™s products that had managed to attract international buyers.

'€œWe had a deal with Malaysia, which wanted to buy 32 Anoa vehicles. Dozens of Anoas have also been in Lebanon to support the UN mission,'€ Edy said.

The Anoa was first unveiled in 2008.

Pindad had built around 150 for the Indonesian Army. Brunei Darussallam had reportedly ordered 15 vehicles, while Timor Leste bought four. Several countries in the Middle East have been cited as potential export customers, as well.

The deal with Malaysia, which was made in 2012, however, has currently stalled because the Malaysian government said it wanted to pay for some of the Anoas in kind, with Malaysian products, rather than in cash, Edy said.

Speculation is rife that Malaysia wanted to trade for some of the Anoas with Malaysia-made Proton sedans.

The deal with CMI was signed last year at Pindad'€™s base in Bandung, West Java.