Indonesian Navy buys tanks from Russia, ROK
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Indonesian Navy buys tanks from Russia, ROKwww.chinaview.cn
2008-02-14 16:20:26 JAKARTA, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian Navy has ordered tanks from Russia and South Korea to modernize its weaponry system, which according to the Navy chief Thursday was 90 percent out of date.
"We have placed orders but they aren't delivered yet," Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Sumardjono was quoted by leading news website Detikcom as saying during a visit to the Surabaya Naval Base in East Java.
He declined to cite figure.
"The budget for the purchase is already prepared. The negotiations to buy South Korean tanks are being conducted by the Ministry of Defense," he said.
The purchase was part of the weaponry modernization program in the Navy to replace the aging war machines.
"The number (of aging machines) is so large with various types I cannot estimate. But let me say about 90 percent," he said.
His remarks came 11 days after a 45-year-old amphibious tank sank during a military training exercise in the Java Sea and killed seven marines onboard.