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which according to the Navy chief Thursday was 90 percent out of
date.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.