Indonesia Buys 2 French Submarines

Photo of an illustration of the Scorpène Submarine Evolved made by the French company Naval Group. BETWEEN/HO-Naval Group.

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Defense has officially announced the purchase of two Scorpéneek Evolved submarine units from the French company Naval Group, all of which will be produced at the PT PAL Indonesia shipyard in Surabaya, East Java.

Head of the Public Relations Bureau of the Secretariat General of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, Brigadier General TNI Edwin Adrian Sumantha, explained that the Indonesian Ministry of Defense signed a purchase contract for two units of ScorpEE Evolved at the Ministry of Defense office, Jakarta, on March 28, 2024.

"The contract (procurement) for the submarine class 1800 '2800 tonnage with the Advanced and Improved Propulsion (AIP) was signed by representatives of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense together with representatives of the Naval Group from France and PT PAL Indonesia," said Edwin as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, April 4.

In the photo uploaded by Naval Group in its official X account, Tuesday (2/4), the contract was signed by the Head of the Defense Facilities Agency (Kabaranah) of the Ministry of Defense Marshal TNI Yusuf Jauhari, President Director of PT PAL Indonesia Kaharuddin Djenod, and Executive Vice President of Naval Group Sales Marie-Laure Bourgeois. The event was also witnessed by Deputy Minister of Defense Lt. Gen. TNI (Ret.) M. Herindra.

The purchase contract includes the procurement of two ScorpEE Evolved Full Lithium-Ion battery (LiB) submarines, a simulator for training, training for crew members, instructors, and operators, integrated logistics support, and materials for three missions or for 1 year.

The Indonesian Ministry of Defense, Naval Group, and PT PAL have agreed that the production of the two submarines is entirely carried out in Surabaya, which is one of the technology transfer cooperation (ToT/offset) from the purchase of Naval Group submarines. PT PAL Indonesia and Naval Group on December 12, 2023 signed a joint operations agreement (joint operation agreement) on December 12, 2023, and a strategic partnership agreement (SPA) in February 2022.

President Director of PT PAL Indonesia Kaharuddin Djenod in an official Naval Group broadcast in Jakarta, Tuesday (2/4) conveyed that the procurement contract for two units of Scorpène Total Evolved shows the high commitment and level of trust from the Government of the Republic of Indonesia towards domestic technicians, experts, and engineers, considering that the submarine will be carried out at the PT PAL shipyard, Surabaya.

"In the future, Indonesia is expected to master submarine manufacturing technology," said Kaharuddin.

Meanwhile, Naval Group President Director Pierre Badminton, Pommellet, praised the Indonesian government's decision to finally choose ScorpEE Evolved to strengthen the Indonesian Navy's fleet.

"Indonesia chooses submarines that show high performance, are tested at sea, which will certainly strengthen Indonesia's maritime sovereignty and support the Indonesian Navy to become superior in the region," said Pommellet.

"We are very happy to welcome the Indonesian Navy to be part of the Scorpenew family," he continued.

Scorpène Total Evolved is one of the latest submarines with the latest technology that uses Lathium-Ion batteries that are light and high energy density so that submarines can operate longer without the need to recharge/fuel. The submarine also has stealth capabilities (sealth) aka not caught in the radar of other ships while operating under water level.

Naval Group in its official broadcast called Scorpène Total Evolved a versatile submarine that can carry out various operations such as surface anti-ship warfare, anti-submarine warfare, special operations, and underwater intelligence operations.

Scorp\'eine! It is also equipped with the latest generation of SUBTICS fighter systems, which are able to answer various needs for shallow sea and deep sea operations.

Scorpèneek Evolved's specifications that will strengthen the Indonesian Navy include the length of 72 meters, the speed of sailing while diving a maximum of 20 knots, diving ability up to 300 meters, maximum diving ability 80 days, total capacity 31 crews, operational capability in the sea 240 days per year. The submarine is also equipped with six weapons launch tubes, and 18 missile and torpedo-type weapons can be installed.