Indonesia Approves Defence Ministry Plans to Acquire Military Communications Satellite

The Indonesian House of Representatives commission on defence, intelligence, and foreign affairs (Komisi I) has approved a request for funding from the country's defence ministry and the Indonesian Armed Forces (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, or TNI) to acquire a satellite from Airbus Defence and Space for USD849.3 million.

Plans to acquire the satellite were approved on 27 June, according to a transcript of proceedings between Komisi I and the Indonesian Ministry of Defence and TNI, provided to IHS Jane's on the day after.

The satellite will be used for military satellite communications on the L-Band frequency and is targeted for launch in 2019. The satellite is expected to be developed with input from the military and various Indonesian institutions, but Airbus Defence and Space will be fully responsible for its launch.

Upon launch, the satellite is expected to occupy the orbital slot of 123 degrees east longitude. The orbital slot, which has been allocated to Indonesia by the International Telecommunications Union, was previously occupied by the Garuda-1 satellite belonging to Asia Cellular Satellite. However, it has since been taken out of orbit due to various malfunctions.

The satellite's acquisition costs are expected to be disbursed by the Indonesian government over a five-year period leading up to 2019.

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