JAKARTA: Indonesia made history on Friday (Aug 7) by starting the construction of the first of two Scorpene Evolved submarines with a steel cutting ceremony to become the first Asean country to build a submarine from scratch domestically.
Navy chief of staff Adm Muhammad Ali led the ceremony at state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL, Indonesia’s surface ship division fabrication shop in Surabaya.
PT PAL president director Kaharuddin Djenod said the event was a significant milestone in Indonesia's journey toward strengthening its defence capabilities.
Designed by French shipbuilder Naval Group, the Scorpene for the Republic of Indonesia (SRI) project is a national strategic project that will not only strengthen the Indonesian Navy's operational readiness but also serve as a catalyst for the development of national defence industrial ecosystem.
"Today [Friday] is not just about the start of a submarine's construction. Today is an opportunity for Indonesia to prove that we can build national strategic capabilities sustainably,” Kaharuddin said during the ceremony.
“What we are building is not just a defence platform, but also the competence of Indonesian engineers, technological mastery and an industrial ecosystem that will be the foundation to construct next-generation submarines.”
In his remarks, Ali said that the construction of the first submarine in Indonesia is a historic milestone for the Asean region.
“This is the first time we have built a submarine from the start in Indonesia. Among Asean countries, perhaps we are the first to build a submarine domestically. This is highly positive,” he said
“We hope that this capability continues to be developed so that the national naval defence industry can build our own capabilities. Going forward, we must become increasingly more independent in constructing surface ships, submarines and other major weapons systems.”
The Naval Group - PT PAL consortium combines the complementary expertise and responsibilities of each partner to ensure optimal collaboration, both shipbuilders said in a joint statement.
“PT PAL is responsible for hull construction, equipment integration, testing, final assembly and delivery of the submarines to the Indonesian Navy,” the statement said
“Naval Group provides the submarine design, engineering support, industrial capability transfer and continuous technical support thanks to a dedicated team of experts permanently based in Surabaya.”
Meanwhile, PT PAL production director Diana Rosa expressed confidence in her team's ability to pass the milestones for building the diesel-electric attack submarines, which are armed with 18 Black Shark heavy torpedoes, SM39 Exocet anti-ship missiles, A3SM (MICA) anti-air missiles and naval mines.
All of these can be launched from the submarines' six 533-millimetre torpedo tubes. The two submarines, which have a submerged displacement of 2,800 tonnes, are targeted for completion within seven to eight years.
“We have the capabilities, and we have the facilities. To improve our capabilities to meet the requirements of the Scorpene class, we have sent experts to France, and they passed 100 per cent, which was recognised by Naval [Group],” Diana said.
“This is unlike experts from other countries, such as Brazil and India, which also build Scorpene submarines.”
The advancement of the first steel-cutting schedule from October to August, according to Diana, serves as proof that PT PAL Indonesia can execute the work on time.
“If possible, we will be ahead of schedule. But this is a submarine. In artistic terms, it is handmade,” she said.
“We cannot rush because a slight drop in quality would be extremely dangerous, as we are building an underwater vessel.”
PT PAL stated it would maintain quality despite efforts to accelerate construction, though it noted the process will not be as fast as building surface ships.
“So, we will safeguard every milestone,” Diana emphasised, while assuring that the supply chain for the construction of the two submarines has been secured.
Featuring full local production, the Scorpene Evolved submarines fall into the medium-weight ocean-going submarine category. Their capabilities include underwater speeds of over 20 knots (37 kilometres per hour) and an endurance of 80 days on a single voyage, with an operational range of up to 12,000 nautical miles (22,2224km) at economical speed
The Scorpene requires only around 31 crew members and boasts high stealth levels with low acoustic signatures.
Meanwhile, Ali stressed that his service would optimise the four existing submarines to maintain Indonesian underwater security while waiting for the Scorpene submarines to be completed.
“So, for underwater warfare, we will continue to carry out modifications and equip our existing submarines. We are also trying to refurbish and modernise the current platforms,” he said.
“That is our hope. While waiting for this construction to be completed, our four existing submarines remain operational.”
Indonesia’s current submarine fleet consists of one German-made U209 type, the KRI Cakra, and three South Korean-made improved Chang Bogo-class submarines, the KRI Nagapasa, KRI Ardadedali and KRI Alugoro
When asked about the possibility of acquiring additional submarines as a stopgap measure, or interim submarines, Ali confirmed the plan. However, he declined to elaborate on the specific type or number of interim submarines to be procured.
“The interim submarines will come later, but the Defence Ministry certainly knows best,” he said.
There are several submarine types being offered as interim submarines, both second-hand and brand new.
China, for example, has offered three second-hand S26T submarines, the export version of Type 039A, or Yuan class.
Indonesia is also in talks with Japan for possible acquisition of decommissioned Japanese submarines, such as the older Oyashio-class or relatively newer Soryu-class, which are equipped with air independent propulsion (AIP).
For brand new submarines, the candidates include Italian-made U212 NFS submarine, Turkish-made Reis-class, which is a variant of German-made U-214 submarines with Turkish subsystems and weapons.
The only way to get any of these brand-new submarines is by rerouting those which are already on the production line for the host country’s navy. Indonesia did this before when it procured two multipurpose combat ships (MPCSs) from Italian shipyard Fincantieri. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
Novan Iman Santosa contributed to this article from Jakarta
