Indo-Defence 2008 to help resurrect Indonesian defence industry

Indonesian defence minister Juwono Sudarsono has said the Indo-Defence exhibition would help resurrect the national defence industry. Speaking at the inauguration of the Indo Defence and Aerospace 2008 show, Sudarsono said the exhibition was expected to serve as a driving force behind the development of the Indonesian defence industry. Vice President Jusuf Kalla added the event would be the key to strengthening international cooperation for developing defense technology. "The defense sector is very much related to technology and the fast pace of technological development in the world. It is important for us to follow and understand each countries' developments. It is important for us to follow and understand each countries' developments", he was quoted as saying in the local media. The Indonesian defence force is among the biggest in e Asia-Pacific region. Though it has an industrial manufacturing base, it is largely dependent upon foreign weapons suppliers for high tech hardware. At the inauguration ceremony, there was a demonstration of Indonesian armored personnel carriers (APC) manufactured by state arms maker PT Pindad. The government plans to buy 150 of these 6 x6 APCs. While allowing international defence vendors to sell to Indonesia, the country is keen to develop its own industry and has lined up several joint ventures in various aspects of defence production including Army, Navy and Air Force equipment.