Leopard 2. (Foto: ©Bundeswehr/Trotzki)January 13 2012, Jakarta: Indonesian army has been negotiating on purchasing weaponry as part of an effort to modernize its military equipment so that its strength will be equal with neighboring countries, Army Chief of Staff General Pramono Edhie Wibowo said here on Friday.
The army chief of staff said that about 14 trillion rupiah ( some 1.54 billion U.S. dollars) had been allocated for the purchase in 2011 and 2012.
Among the equipment to be bought were tanks, helicopters for combat and transport, anti-war plane equipments and others, said Wibowo.
"We have made a priority. We will buy the weaponry simultaneously, and we expect that all the equipment that we need can be purchased by 2014," he said at Kartika Chandra building here.
The general said that Indonesia's army equipment were outdated and their quality was behind neighboring countries over the last two decades.
"We have allocated the funds for purchasing tanks, helicopters for combat and transports, anti-aircraft equipment and others," said Wibowo.
The general said that the army sought to buy the weaponry with higher quality and lower prices.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said that the government sought to purchase military equipment from European countries suffering from the economic crisis and may want to trim their weaponry, from which the president expected Indonesia could buy them cheaper.
Terrorism and separatist movements are among the main threats being faced by the Indonesian army.
Source: Xinhua
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