The US has announced it will sell the Indonesian army eight Apache attack helicopters in a deal valued at $500 million, including radar, training and maintenance, according to a US defense official.
Reuters reported that "the sale of Boeing's AH-64E Apache helicopters was announced during a visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to Jakarta, his second stop on a week-long four-nation trip to Southeast Asia that began in Malaysia on Saturday."
"'Providing Indonesia these world-class helicopters is an example of our commitment to help build Indonesia's military capability,' Hagel told reporters."
The AH-64E Apaches will carry the advanced Longbow Fire Control Radar, a high-performance radar tracking and targeting system developed by a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
The Longbow fire control radar employs a radar frequency interferometer for the passive location and identification of radar-emitting threats. Its short-wavelength millimetre wave radar can perform in poor-visibility conditions and features a narrow beamwidth making it resistant to countermeasures.
The Longbow uses the Longbow Hellfire missile which has a range of 8km to 12 km and features a radar seeker allowing the gunner to 'fire and forget'.
The Apache also features a 30mm automatic chain gun located under the fuselage which is capable of firing 625 rounds a minute as well as guided and unguided missiles.
A timetable for the delivery of the eight helicopters will be released in the future, according to the officials.
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