RI Building High Energetic Materials Center

Subang (Antara Bali) - Indonesia is  building  a high energetic material center in the compound of PT Dahana in Subang, West Java, to meet the needs of  its military.

"I support this project because our challenge is to stop importing  propellant materials,"  Research and Technology Minister Gusti Mohammad Hatta said during a visit to  PT Dahana, a state-owned high energetic materials (explosives) company  in Subang, West Java, on Friday.

The minister had come to the company to witness  the signing of a cooperation agreement between  PT Dahana and the National Aviation and Space Institute (Lapan).  Also present at the ceremony was   Technology Assessment and Application Agency (BPPT) chief  Marzan A Iskandar.

The minister said Indonesia was determined to achieve  independence in defense technology expertise, including in the production of propellants like rocket fuel.

"But military industries must also support themselves  by also turning out  commercial products. In addition , they also have to cooperate with research institutes to  develop materials to make such things as rockets," Gusti said.

Meanwhile, PT Dahana Director Tanto Dirgantoro said, since the high emergetic material center project was kicked off by Defense Minister Puronom Yusgiantoro in 2010, the company's activities to make propelleants were centered at its plant in Subang.

The center itself as a whole was scheduled for completion in and be the largest  of its kind in the ASEAN region.(IGT/T007)