Indonesia Signs USD1 Billion Contract for Three Follow-on SSKs to Nagapasa Class

13 April 2019

Indonesia has signed a USD1 billion contract with South Korean shipbuilding company DSME for three more diesel-electric submarines. The Indonesian shipbuilder PT PAL will play a larger role in the construction of these vessels. sixth boat PT PAL will construct all six modules in Indonesia, with assistance from DSME (photo : IMF)

The Indonesian Ministry of Defence has signed a USD1 billion contract with South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) for three Type 209/1400 diesel-electric submarines (SSKs). The contract was signed on 12 March in Bandung, West Java.

Section of Type 209-1400 submarine (image : PAL)

The vessels will be a follow-on to the country’s Nagapasa class, the contract for which was also awarded to DSME in 2011. Two submarines under this earlier contract have been commissioned by the Indonesian Navy (Tentara Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Laut: TNI-AL), while a third was launched at PT PAL’s premises in Surabaya on 11 March.

Industry sources, who have been updating Jane’s on the progress of the negotiations for the follow-on SSKs since early January 2019, have also confirmed that PT PAL will take on larger workshare roles in this new deal with DSME as part of a technology transfer programme.

For the first vessel under the new contract, which will be the fourth-in-class overall, two of the SSK’s six modules will be constructed by PT PAL in Surabaya, while DSME will build the remaining four in South Korea. The Indonesian-built modules will be shipped to Okpo for assembly.

Workshare between DSME and PAL in batch 2 (image : PAL)

For the second submarine, which will be the fifth-in-class overall, PT PAL will construct four of the six modules in Surabaya, with DSME constructing the remaining two in Okpo. As with the first vessel, modules that have been constructed in Surabaya by PT PAL will be shipped to South Korea for final assembly.

For the third vessel in the contract, which will be the sixth-in-class overall, PT PAL initially proposed to build the entire submarine.

(Jane's)