A total of 52 combat vehicles, consisting of 26 Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks and 26 medium-sized Marder 1A2 infantry fighting vehicles, will be shipped from the city of Unterluss following a brief ceremony early this week, which will be attended by Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Indonesia’s deputy defense minister, and Gen. Pramono Edhie Wibowo, retired Army chief of staff.The purchase is part of the Indonesian government’s larger plan to modernize Indonesia’s aging military equipment and weaponry.
Germany had given defense firm Rheinmetall the green light in 2012 to export 104 Leopard 2A6 tanks, 50 Marder 1A2 infantry fighting vehicles and 10 other military carriers — including armored recovery vehicles, mobile bridges and military engineering vehicles — to Indonesia, German news portal Spiegel Online reported.According to Indonesian officials, the initial agreement for 130 tanks was valued at $280 million, while Rheinmentall’s press released placed the figure at 216 million euro, or $293.7 million. The deal includes training sessions, logistical support services and an initial supply of practice and service ammunition.
The deliveries are scheduled to be concluded between 2014 and 2016.
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