Last week, Indonesia’s Minister of Defence Ryamizard Ryacudu inaugurated the opening of a propellant manufacturing facility in Subang, West Java, owned by Indonesian defense contractor PT Dahana Persero.
The manufacturing plant will produce nitroglycerin, an explosive solution used in double-base propellants as a binder, with a prototype having been presented during the inauguration.
According to PT Dahana’s Director Budi Antono, the facility measures 2.1 hectares and will handle the engineering and development of up to 200 tonnes of nitroglycerin per year, and is being constructed by German-South African company Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM). The company is also in the process of constructing a nitrocellulose plant.
Said Ryamizard, “This inauguration proves to the world that Indonesia is capable of being independent and that we are working towards a vision of becoming a globally-competitive defense manufacturer. Realizing this vision will require the efforts of the entire country. Indonesia is a nation of fighters with creativity and a huge potential to innovate and grow the industry to be technologically-advanced.”
PT Dahana also provides the Indonesian Armed Forces with other propellants, explosives and other defense-related equipment. Additionally, the company manufactures Indonesia’s R-Han 122 rocket launcher (adapted from sounding rocket RX 1210), for which it received an order of 77 units last year. PT Dahana has also been commissioned to manufacture R-Han 450, a ballistic with a range of 100km, originally developed by the country’s space agency LAPAN as the RX450 sounding rocket.
