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Indonesia noncommittal on US Osprey sale
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), an agency under the US Department of Defense, announced the possible sale of eight Osprey aircraft to Indonesia in a July 6 statement, saying that Indonesia could receive eight MV-22 Block C Osprey aircraft and related equipment, including navigation systems and technical support services, among other products.
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Airmen from the US Air Force's Crisis Response Group board a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey from the navy's USS Bataan at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida on Sept. 4, 2019, to support disaster relief efforts in the Bahamas, in this handout image from the US Department of Defense. (Agence France Presse/Technical Sgt. Lionel Castellano / DoD / AFP)
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mid orders from President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to the Defense Ministry to procure weapons from local arms manufacturers, the United States government has announced the possible sale of Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft worth US$2 billion to the Indonesian Military (TNI).
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), an agency under the US Department of Defense, announced the possible sale of eight Osprey aircraft to Indonesia in a July 6 statement, saying that Indonesia could receive eight MV-22 Block C Osprey aircraft and related equipment, including navigation systems and technical support services, among other products.
If approved, it will be the second time Indonesia has purchased US aircraft under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) framework, following a 2013 deal in which Indonesia paid $500 million for eight new Apache AH-64E attack helicopters and Longbow radars.
Under the FMS, partner countries have approached the US government to purchase its defense articles. The process begins with the buyer formally submitting a letter of request (LoR) that specifies detailed specifications for the defense equipment it intends to purchase from the US government.
However, two days after the announcement, President Jokowi called on Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto to buy weapons from local arms and military vehicle manufacturers, namely state-owned weapons manufacturers PT Pindad, state-owned shipbuilder PT Pal and aircraft manufacturer Dirgantara Indonesia.
"The Defense Ministry should buy locally from DI, Pindad and PAL. They can pay in cash here. They can use the state budget to procure locally made products. I believe the defense minister knows this very well," President Jokowi said on Wednesday last week.
Senior officials at the Defense Ministry have appeared to distance themselves from the deal with present and former ministry officials declining to confirm if the purchase was in the government’s plans.
