Indonesian Army inducts locally built assault craft into Aceh command

JAKARTA, -- The Indonesian Army (Tentera Nasional Indonesia - Angkatan Darat, or TNI-AD) has inducted a locally produced fast assault craft into the service's Iskandar Muda regional military command. The command oversees the country's Aceh province.

A statement released by the TNI-AD on 1 April described the 17.6 m vessel, known locally as the Kapal Motor Cepat (KMC) Komando, as providing capacity to improve its manoeuvrability and response times in the province.

The KMC Komando platform has been developed in a joint effort between the TNI-AD, local shipbuilder PT Tesco Indomaritim, and the Surabaya Institute of Technology.

The vessel is armed with a single 12.7 mm machine gun mounted on an autonomous controller equipped with a laser range finder. It can accommodate up to 3 crew members and 31 embarked personnel.

By the end of 2015, the TNI-AD is expected to induct as many as seven more such craft into various regional commands.