Indonesia might Buy More Chiron SAM

14 November 2018

In Indonesia, Chirons was integrated with Oerlikon Skyshield 35 mm anti-aircraft gun system (photo : TNI AU)

Indonesian missiles with Seoul

Seoul-based company LIG is ambitiously projecting its hopes of increasing its footprint in Indonesia, in the coming years, by raising its production of the short-range missile system, Chiron for the air force.

With a presidential election taking place in April next year in Indonesia, Joon-Gi Hong, manager, global business team at LIG Nex1, said the company was positioning itself to be included in the government’s five-year defence plan with a specific push on the procurement of more Chiron missiles.

The Indonesian government signed a contract in 2012 for six Chiron missile, with Rheinmetall as the prime contractor.

‘Next year there will be a new government we are attempting to push and expand the air force’s [Chiron missile] quantity to 100,’ Hong told Shephard.

LIG Nex1 Chiron missile (photo : Shephard)

The weapon has a maximum range of 7km with a missile diameter of 80mm and weighs in at 2.5kg. 

Hong explained that Indonesia was the only country the weapon had been exported to although it has also been procured by the South Korean MoD. The company has an indigenous facility in Jakarta.

By 2015 Hong said that the delivery of the 12 missiles had been completed; this took place over the course of two years with three batches of four missiles being received by the Indonesian Air Force in stages.

In the summer of 2017 the air force fired two of the missiles and according to Hong the service said the firings were successful.

(Shephard)