The Indonesia’s Defense Ministry has agreed to accept the United States’ military grant consisting of 14 Insitu ScanEagle drones and 3 Bell 412 helicopters. The military equipment is to increase the Navy’s maritime capacity and overall defense system throughout the country.
The Bell 412 helicopters worth USD 6.3 million will strengthen the Navy’s effectiveness in conducting military operations. The ScanEagle, worth USD 28.3 million, is to be used to improve the Navy’s intelligence surveillance reconnaissance. It will only be employed for special purposes and PT LEN Industri, the state-owned electronic component manufacturer, will spend almost USD 720.000 to integrate and check on the equipment’s data security with other defense systems.
Prior to accepting the grant, the Defense Ministry had formed an assessment team to check on the technical, economic and political aspects of the grant. The Indonesian House of Representative Commission managing the intelligence, defense and foreign affairs noted that the Defense Ministry must perform reassessment on the drones and helicopters’ conditions to prioritize national security.
The United States first offered Indonesia the ScanEagle drones and upgrade of Bell 412 helicopters in 2014 – 2015.
(Source: The Jakarta Post)
