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Navy Chief Adm. Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno said on Sunday that the military had given the Defense Ministry detailed plans and specifications for two submarines it hoped to purchase, in a signal that the imperiled procurement might yet go through.

Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono previously said the government was reviewing the purchase plan in light of the economic situation.

But pressed by journalists on the sidelines of a military ceremony, Tedjo expressed surprise upon hearing that an unnamed ministry source said last week that the purchase might be postponed until 2011 because of defense budget limits.

“We have already given the details to the Defense Ministry,” he said. “We hope the process will be cleared this month. Then [the ministry] can decide from which country we will purchase the submarines and then we will sign the contract.”

The ministry source, speaking on condition of anonymity, had told the Jakarta Globe that additional funds for weaponry approved recently would mainly be used to maintain existing military equipment.

“The plan [to buy new submarines] will likely be postponed until 2011,” the source said.

But Tedjo said there were different perceptions among state officials as to what would happen in 2011. In the view of the Navy, he said, the contract for the submarines would be signed this year and the ships would be received in 2011.

“So by 2011, that’s when we will get the submarines,” Tedjo said. “Don’t think that the plan to purchase new submarines will be postponed.”

Tedjo said the ministry should draft a more concrete purchase plan as soon as possible.

The government last week announced a Rp 40 trillion ($4 billion) budget allotment for the Defense Ministry for 2010, which is Rp 7 trillion more than this year.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said at the time that Rp 11.3 trillion of this would be used for purchasing new defense equipment.

Hari Prihartono, executive director of the Pro-Patria Institute, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to defense issues, said on Sunday that Juwono should assemble civilian and military staff to discuss the acquisition issue.

He said the country needed a stronger navy to protect itself from regional threats, and that it was extremely urgent that new naval equipment be purchased.

“On the other hand, we know that the government is facing the problem of a limited budget,” Hari added. “This is why all defense stakeholders should meet to discuss it and find a solution.”

Indonesia had planned to buy Russian submarines using a $1 billion line of credit line with Moscow that was agreed to in 2006. That plan, however, changed because, according to Juwono, the Russian subs were deemed too expensive to operate and maintain.

Russia may still be in the mix for the purchases, but the government is now also said to be looking to South Korea, France and Germany.

The Navy has been looking to double its submarine fleet, which currently consists of two German-built ships.