Indonesia Acquires 57 mm Naval Gun for KCR-60M Vessel

02 Februari 2018

The Indonesian Navy is awaiting delivery of a 57 mm gun for its lead KCR-60M vessel. Service is also considering acquisition of Russian-made A-220M cannons for further boats in the class (photo : BAE Systems)

Indonesia has acquired a new Bofors 57 Mk 3 naval gun system from BAE Systems for its first KCR-60M missile attack craft, KRI Sampari (628).

The naval gun will be installed on the platform in the primary position, a TNI-AL source informed Jane’s in late-January 2018. This information has since been corroborated with officials from state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL in Surabaya, who are involved in the weapon’s procurement.

The 57 mm gun will replace a 40 mm cannon from Bofors. This weapon type is currently installed across all three ships in the KCR-60M class. The older weapons were salvaged from the decommissioned landing ship tank (LST) vessel, KRI Teluk Semangka , as an interim measure to provide the KCR-60M class with a naval gunfire support capability.

Burevestnik's 57 mm А-220М naval artillery module (photo : Sputnik)

Indonesia currently operates a fleet of three KCR-60M vessels that were commissioned between May and September 2014, and is anticipating its fourth vessel from PT PAL. The 59.8 m boat has been designed with weight considerations for a 57 mm naval gun in the forward position, but a lack of funds has hampered the procurement of this intended weapon system since 2014.

The KCR-60M is powered by two MTU 20V 4000M73L diesel engines, and can reach a top speed of 28 kt and a standard range of 2,400 n miles (4,444 km) at 20 kt. In 2017, Sampari underwent modifications that included the removal of its missile launchers at aft, although this weapon system is still present on the two other sister ships.

(Jane's)