Rheinmetall To Sell 164 Tanks To Indonesia

In a deal worth several millions of dollars, Rheinmetall has been given a nod by the German government to sell 164 tanks to Indonesia, after the Dutch parliament rejected the similar request over human rights concerns.

After this deal, Indonesia joins the contentious new export list along with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

The deal contains 104 Leopard 2 tanks, 50 of the older Marder 1A2 infantry fighting vehicles, four tanks specialized for mountain terrain, three mobile bridge-layers and three armored earth-movers, called "pioneer tanks" in Germany. The total price of the contract is not fixed yet.

Indonesia had officially requested the deal during Angela Merkel's visit in the summer of 2012, with Reuters previously reporting that it was likely to be approved.

German military exports must be cleared by a special security council made up of Merkel and most top government ministers, including the defense, foreign, finance and development ministers.

Indonesia had also sought to procure Leopard tanks, considered among the most modern on the market, from the Netherlands, but the deal was stopped in the country's parliament. The US has also recently announced plans to export military equipment to the Asian country.