TNI AL Please Purchase New Submarines Realized In 2024

Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy Admiral TNI Muhammad Ali (central)/ANTARA/Genta Tenri Mawangi.

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Navy hopes that the purchase of new submarines can be realized by 2024 considering that this year the Ministry of Defense is still negotiating with several European companies, especially France and Germany.

The Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy (KSAL) Admiral Muhammad Ali explained that the Indonesian Navy had provided several inputs, including the specifications of the submarine needed by the Navy.

"We provide some input regarding this submarine, on average from Europe which is quite good. This is still a discussion and discussion at the Indonesian Ministry of Defense. Hopefully, in the near future, at least 2024, we can get a contract (effective, ed.). That is our hope for submarines," said Admiral Ali as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, December 5.

Some of the specifications needed by the Indonesian Navy for submarines, including those related to diving durability and the ability to dive in silence.

"Our submarine needs of course a quiet one, then a long one. That means, the independence, the resilience of diving longer. That's what we want. There are several choices of submarines, and they are all included in the criteria for specifications (specification, ed.) that we submitted to the Ministry of Defense, and the operations (operational revision) that we submitted to the Ministry of Defense," said Ali.

The Indonesian Navy is currently strengthened by four submarines, while the target is as outlined in the minimum main force (MEF), at least until the end of 2024 there are 12 submarine units.

The four submarines that are currently strengthening the Indonesian Navy, namely KRI Cakra-401, KRI Nagapasa-403, KRI Ardadedali-404, and KRI Alugoro-405.

The Ministry of Defense is currently still negotiating for cooperation in purchasing submarines with European companies, including with France's Naval Group offering Scorpene Class submarines, and with Germany's Thyssen-Krupp Marine Systems (TKMS) offering Type 212 and Type 214 submarines.

From that series of negotiations, the Ministry of Defense has not made a choice.

naval Group CEO Pierre Eric Pommellet on November 9, 2023 flew directly from France to Indonesia to meet the Ministry of Defense represented by Deputy Minister of Defense M. Herindra in Jakarta.

The two of them again discussed cooperation in purchasing submarines, in which Indonesia proposed the need for technology transfer for the defense industry, namely PT PAL if later the Ministry of Defense chose Naval Group as a partner in cooperation in purchasing new submarines for the Indonesian Navy.