Indonesia Buys Armed Drones From Israel

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The New York Sun

JERUSALEM — The world’s largest majority-Muslim nation, Indonesia, is to buy unmanned aerial drones from Israel.

Even though Indonesia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, the Jakarta authorities announced the procurement of Searcher Mark II drones from an Israeli company.

The head of the Indonesian armed forces, Air Marshal Djoko Suyanto, said the decision was taken on purely military grounds and that no consideration was given to the origin of the equipment.

No immediate reaction came from the Israeli government.

With a large local defense industry, Israel is one of the world’s leading arms-dealing nations, although it has often been accused of having no qualms about the countries to which it sells.

Opposition Members of Parliament in Indonesia protested that the procurement of Israeli military equipment was illegal, but the government insisted legal procedures had been followed.

Israel is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading forces in drone technology.

Unmanned aerial vehicles have been developed by the Israelis not only as surveillance platforms — equipped with a hi-tech camera and recording equipment — but also as attack platforms with guided missiles.


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