majalah militer

Anoa APS-2 6x6. (Photo: KOMPAS)

January 13, 2010, Bandung -- State-owned arms manufacturer PT Pindad here Wednesday delivered 33 armored personnel carriers of the APS-2 type (6x6) to the Defense Ministry.

According to a Defense Ministry press release, 24 of the delivered armored vehicles would be used by the army, and the other 13 would put at the disposal of the Indonesian contingent in the UN peace-keeping force in Lebanon.

The 38 APS-2s constituted the third batch of armored personnel carrier deliveries to the Defense Ministry which had placed an order for 150 units. In the first and second batches PT Pindad delivered a total of 60 units to the ministry in 2008.

The ministry had also asked PT Pindad in 2008 to make four armored reconnaissance vehicles.

The APS-2s made by PT Pindad each weigh 12 tons and their bodies were constructed with monocoque and covered in 8 to 10 mm bullet-proof plating.

Although the vehicles are relatively heavy, they can develop a cruising speed of 90 kilometers per hour, turn within a radius of 10 meters and take inclines of up to 31 degrees.

The vehicles are equipped with night vision instruments, a 6- ton winch and for communication purposes they have an intercom set plus VHF/FM (anti-jamming and hopping) and a GPS navigation system.

One APS-2 can carry 15 soldiers, has eight glass reconnaissance and eight firing holes besides two sets of smoke launching tubes.

In terms of firing power, every APS-2 is topped by a copula that can spin 360 degrees to aim AGL or SMB machine guns at targets. They are also equipped with 7.62 mm weapons (infantry) and AGL 40 mm guns (cavalry ).

ANTARA News