Head of Indonesia Shows Interest in Zubr Landing Craft

Indonesia's President Megawati Sukarnoputri has shown an interest in the Zubr air-cushion landing craft, manufactured at the St Petersburg Almaz shipbuilding firm, its director-general Leonid Grabovets said on Wednesday. He was summing up the visit to his enterprise by the Indonesian president.

The approximate cost of the Zubr - a unique development of the Almaz central design bureau - which as yet has no match abroad - is 50 million US dollars, Grabovets noted. He added that during the visit to the enterprise by Megawati Sukarnoputri, no order by Indonesia was mentioned.

The proposed order can be discussed at consultations between Rosoboronexport specialists and the Indonesian side. Such consultations may last from three months to three years, the director-general noted.

At present Almaz's "Asian" orders are limited to the production of equipment for nuclear power plants in one of the Asian countries, Grabovets emphasised. According to him, talks are also under way on some other contracts of the shipbuilders.