PT PINDAD COOPERATING WITH PT KRAKATAU STEEL

Jakarta, Feb 8 (ANTARA) - Weapons manufacturer PT Pindad is cooperating with PT Krakatau Steel to supply the raw material for making assault rifles, its director, Slamet Irianto, said here on Monday.

"So far the company imports the raw material for assault rifle from Germany, Italy and several other countries," the director of weapons system said to ANTARA on the sidelines of an Army Commander's Cup shooting competition at the Infantry-1 Army Reserve Command Division headquarters in Cilodong, West Java.

He said efforts for the partnership had been done for four months especially with regard to assuring that the actual materials, physical conditions, dimensions and others meet the technical specifications required by the military (TNI).

Slamet said PT Pindad had so far produced assault rifles with an effective range of 300 meters in line with the TNI's needs.

"So, we must see if the materials from PT Krakatau Steel support it or not," he said.

He said the company has a capacity of producing 14,000 peaces of weapons a year but the TNI could only absorb around 10,000 of them.

"We cannot just supply the TNI because it also depends upon budget availability. So we will only supply if there is already a demand," he said.

He said PT Pindad also plans to export assault weapons such as SS-1 and SS-2 of various kinds to Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

During the shooting competition PT Pindad demonstrated several of its products such as pistols G-2 Elite and G-2 Combat, P2-V2, SS-1 and SS-2 of various kinds, SPR1, SPR2 and SPR 3 rifles and others.

On the occasion several high-ranking army officials as well as journalists were given an opportunity to try some of the products.