The ministry’s director general for defense potential, Maj. Gen. Dadang Hendrayudha, concluded the biennial event in a closing ceremony showcasing a performance by female traffic officers from the Jakarta Police’ Motor Brigade riding BMW and Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

The ceremony also included a live demo of locally made military vehicles, such as the Maung tactical vehicle and the Anoa armored vehicle line from state-owned weapons and land systems manufacturer PT Pindad, as well as the J-Forces Indonesia light strike vehicle (LSV) produced by PT Jala Berikat Nusantara Perkasa.

Other military equipment and gear showcased during the local products segment included light weapons, uniforms and protective equipment, such as the personal protection system, boots and gloves worn by special forces operatives of the country’s three military branches as well as cadets at the Indonesia Defense University.

Read also: Local defense firms told to adopt latest technology

Earlier on Saturday, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto visited the expo and drove the Morino MV Cruiser tactical vehicle made by Pindad. He even invited children visiting the expo to get onboard and then took them on a ride around the Jakarta International Expo (JIExpo) in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

This year’s event saw more than 30,000 visitors and 905 exhibitors from 59 countries, said president director Ashatama Arya Seta of PT Napindo Media Ashatama.

The event organizer has been organizing Indonesia’s – and arguably Southeast Asia’s – largest defense expo since 2004 excepting the 2020 event, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Billed as the “official tri-service defense, maritime and security event”, Arya said this year's expo was the biggest ever organized, with Napindo Media Ashatama planning to hold the 2024 event on Nov. 6-8.

More than 200 delegates from 32 countries also attended this year's defense forum for meetings with Indonesian officials and defense company representatives.

The Indo Aerospace and Indo Marine expos ran concurrently with the defense expo from Nov. 2 to 5, also at JIExpo.

Aside from the main venue in Kemayoran, two satellite sites at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in East Jakarta hosted dynamic and static aircraft displays. Two French Dassault Rafale jet fighters were flown to Jakarta especially for the event after the Indonesian government confirmed its down payment for six jet fighters.

Local production

Also on display during the defense expo’s technology demonstration segment was a CASA/IPTN CN-235 that uses biofuel to support sustainable aviation.

The CN-235 aircraft was developed in the 1980s in a collaboration between state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara (IPTN), which is now called PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) or Indonesian Aerospace, and Spanish aerospace manufacturer CASA, now a part of Airbus Defence And Space, a division of the Airbus group.

Naval vessels were displayed at Pondok Dayung Dock in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, where Prabowo christened on Thursday KRI Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo 991, a 124-meter hospital ship made by state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL Indonesia in Surabaya.

The floating hospital can sail for 30 days and is equipped with two emergency rooms and five operating rooms, a laboratory and pharmacy, as well as a CT scanner and X-ray machine. It can house up to 130 patients and is manned by 111 health workers, including a general physician, a dentist and an ear, nose and throat specialist.

Exhibitors at the 2022 event included big names such as United States industry giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin, as well as French manufacturer Airbus, missile maker MBDA, shipbuilder Naval Group and technology developer Thales Group.

Other countries represented included Australia, Brazil, China, Turkey and the United Kingdom, as well as fellow ASEAN member states Malaysia and Singapore.

Locally made armored and tactical vehicles are displayed after a live demo at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Indo Defense Expo and Forum at the Jakarta International Expo in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. (JP/Novan Iman Santosa)

This year’s event also newcomers such as Colombia’s state-owned weapons manufacturer Indumil, which makes light arms, ammunition and explosives, and United Arab Emirates defense holding company EDGE, which has several subsidiaries like Abu Dhabi Ship Building, arms maker Caracal, ammunition maker Lahab, long-range precision guided munitions maker Al Tariq and electronic warfare and intelligence technology company Signal.

On Thursday, PT DI signed a contract worth US$80.5 million to provide PT Karya Logistik Indotama (KLI) with 11 units of its N219 Nurtanio light transport aircraft with basic integrated support, which includes training, technical publications, technician support, warranties, spare parts and ground support equipment.

The contract was signed by PT DI group’s commercial head, Indar Atmoko, and PT KLI president director Krishna Soejitno, and was witnessed by Prabowo and National Development Planning Minister Suharso Monoarfa.

The first N219 aircraft is to be delivered within 28 months after the contract becomes effective, to be followed four months later with delivery of the second aircraft.