Ministry Of Defense Encourages Private Defense Industry For Ammunition Production

ILLUSTRATION/Pindad/ANTARA/Noviran Arbi

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Defense (Kemhan) encourages the domestic defense industry to produce ammunition to meet the needs of the TNI.

"The Ministry of Defense opens the widest possible range of private defense industries that meet the requirements to be involved," said Ministry of Defense spokesman Dahnil Azhar Simanjuntak, quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, October 25.

This, he continued, had been ordered by President Joko Widodo so that Indonesia could strengthen the domestic defense industry.

Dahnil confirmed that the Ministry of Defense needs 5 billion ammunition to supply the TNI's needs until 2023.

Meanwhile, PT Amerind Global will build an ammunition factory in the Galang Batang Special Economic Zone (KEK), Bintan Regency, Riau Islands, to meet the needs of ammunition for the TNI.

President Director of PT Amerind Global Major General TNI (Ret.) George E. Supit said his party had collaborated with three well-known defense equipment companies from the United States, namely Northrop Grumman, Bliss, and Olin/Winchester to build an ammunition factory in Indonesia, especially 5.56 mm ammunition.

According to Supit, the desire to build a munitions factory in the country is carried out to meet the ammunition needs of 5 billion ammunition that has been planned by the Ministry of Defense for operational needs and TNI institutional reserves.

"The Defense Minister (Prabowo Subianto) provides the private sector the opportunity to build an ammunition factory because according to his policy he will procure 5 billion rounds of ammunition, for the needs of the TNI, both for reserves and operational activities," he said when contacted by ANTARA separately.

 

The former Pangdam XVII/Cenderawasih admitted that ammunition from a defense equipment company from the United States which has now become the principal of PT Amerind Global has undergone ammunition tests at the Army Research and Development Agency (Dislitbangad).

"We have tested this ammunition at the Army Dislitbang whose laboratory is in Batu Jajar. There are 3 types of ammunition that we have tested, namely 5.56 mm caliber, 7.62 mm caliber, and 12.7 mm caliber, and all of them have passed the test. And we already got the certificate, it has been certified so we guarantee this ammunition is very suitable for use for the TNI," said Supit.

Therefore, he hopes that PT Amerind Global can help, support the procurement of 5.56 mm ammunition which is the need for the Ministry of Defense.

The plan to build an ammunition factory has been approved by the Ministry of Defense. The Indonesian Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of ATR/BPN have agreed to establish an international standard ammunition factory on an area of ​​100 hectares in the Galang Batang Special Economic Zone (KEK), Bintan Regency, Riau Islands.

"The ammunition factory in the Galang Batang SEZ, Bintan will be able to produce 360 ​​million per year," said the retired two-star general.

However, continued Aster the TNI Commander in 2018, the process of establishing a high-tech ammunition factory is still waiting for the Environmental Impact Analysis (AMDAL) process from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK).

"If there is an AMDAL from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, it will be submitted to the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, and then the Ministry of Defense will issue a permit to establish a factory in a place that has been determined by the Ministry of Defense," said Supit.