Indonesia: State of Submarine Forces in ASEAN 2023 – 2

The second ASEAN country submarine force in my series concerns Indonesia.

4 submarines in service, 2 - 5 orders possible

Cakra-class (Type 209) 

2 boats, 1 in commission, 1 lost

Displacement 1,390 tonnes

Ordered 1977

Delivered by 1981 

 

(KRI Cakra 401 image courtesy Wikipedia)
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Nagapasa-class (Improved Chang Bogo) 

3 in commission, 3 on order?

Displacement 1,400 tonnes

Ordered Batch 1: 2011. Batch 2: 2019

Delivered: Batch 1 2017-2022, Batch 2 by 2026

Cost: $1.1 billion Batch 1

$1.02 billion Batch 2

 

 

KRI Nagapasa 403 image: Hanwa Ocean (DSME) 
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Scorpene-class

4 planned?

Intention to purchase MoU signed

Displacement: 2,000 tonnes 

Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic state, with over 17,000 islands, and it controls a number of important SLOCs (Sea Lanes of Communication). While the Malacca Straits is most frequently cited in the news, its 25 metre depth limits the size of ships that can use it, and there is an existing framework of coordinated naval patrols with  Singapore and Malaysia, the Malacca Straits Patrol. 

Extremely large displacement (above 300,000 DWT) container ships, VLCC supertankers, gas and bulk carriers transit Indonesia’s islands via the Lombok and Makassar Straits (the Indonesian Navy has a submarine facility in Palu, central Sulawesi). Thankfully, Indonesia has enjoyed excellent defense relations with India (who would like to sell BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to Indonesia), so its West flank is relatively secure. 

 

To the North - Indonesia has to monitor the Natuna Sea and cross border crime and terrorism in the Celebes Sea. To the West - the South West Pacific near West Papua, while in the South the Timor Sea and Arafura Sea are shared with Australia. 

 

Within the Indonesian Archipelago, Indonesia monitors and polices the Java, Bali, Flores, Banda, Molucca, Seram and Halmahera Seas, and the Makassar Strait, and the discovery of three PRC UUV’s within Indonesian territorial waters will be a cause for concern.

 

Recent greyzone incursions by Chinese fishing boats, and the Chinese Coast Guard, into the EEZ of the Natuna islands, have also alarmed Jarkarta. This has led Indonesia to a buildup of military bases in the Natunas, including a submarine support station. The region has large natural gas reserves, including the West Natuna-Singapore pipeline, that when it opened in 2001, supplied Singapore with 100 million standard cubic feet per day of natural gas. 

 

During Indonesia’s expansionist period in the 1960s, the Indonesian Navy saw a massive infusion of Soviet arms, including 12 Whiskey-class submarines in 1962. It is unknown whether the Whiskeys were gifted by the Soviets to Indonesia or to what degree they were Soviet crewed. In any case they were potent symbols of the leadership of the Soviets in the “anti-imperialist struggle” against the West.

 

The Whiskeys’ most notable function was in the Indonesian War of Independence against the Dutch East Indies colonial administration. The Whiskeys were decommissioned by 1990 were scrapped, except the ex-KRI Pasopati 410, which is now a museum monument in Surabaya.

 

Indonesia’s second generation submarines were two Cakra-class (Type 209) boats from Germany's HDW, ordered in 1977, commissioned in 1981. The class received a major refit with HDW from 1986 to 1989, and a second refit from South Korea's DSME in the 2000s. KRI Nanggala 402 was tragically lost in April 2021 and KRI Cakra 401 remains in commission.

 

In 1997 Indonesia was going to purchase 5 ex-German Navy Type 205s, but this was scuppered in 1998 due to the 1998 Indonesian riots and the fall of the Suharto regime.

 

In December 2011, Indonesia awarded DSME a $1.07 billion dollar contract for three Nagapasa 403-class (Type 209 Chang-bogo variant) submarines, with the third submarine assembled in Indonesia by state shipbuilder PT Pal and launched in 2021 (scroll down to submarine Table here). According to Kompas.com, Nagapasa 403 recently introduced a torpedo countermeasure system with mobile acoustic jammers and mobile acoustic decoys and is capable of launching anti-ship missiles.

 

In 2019 Indonesia signed a $1 billion dollar deal for a second batch of Nagapasa boats from DSME. But by November 2022 Navalnews.com reported that Indonesia had not issued a letter of credit to DSME to activate the project.  DSME has incurred a loss from purchasing long-lead time components in anticipation for this order. Why did the deal stall?

 

While the Nagapasa Batch 2 deal was uncertain in January 2020 Navyrecogintion.com reported that Indonesia was planning to purchase up to four Scorpene-class submarines from Naval Group.

 

In non-submarine news Indonesia might also buy 2 Gowind corvettes from Naval Group. Though in June 2021 Indonesia instead signed a contract for 6 FREMM frigates from Italy's Fincantieri and two refurbished Maestrale frigates from Fincantieri. An export design contract between Babcock and PT PAL was also signed in 2022 for two Type 31 frigates. In May 2023 Fincantieri updated Shepard Media that their deal had not yet entered into effect, though for the two Type 31s are now being built.

 

Nikkei reported in May 2021, just after the loss of KRI Nanggala, that Indonesia aims to expand its submarine fleet to 12 vessels.  

Indonesia’s PT PAL CEO talked to Naval News at NAVDEX Abu Dhabi held February 20-24, 2023. The CEO mentions Germany (presumably TKMS) is also bidding to provide future submarines for Indonesia. PT PAL would like to build them in Indonesia. It is unclear whether the Indonesian Navy is enthusiastic for new TKMS subs. The fact the PT PAL’s CEO did not mention the Nagapasa Batch 2 deal is very telling. Indonesia has put that contract in doubt since 2020.

PT PAL signed a MoU with the Naval Group in March 2022 for two Scorpene-class submarines, so if we take this MoU together with the issues over the second batch of Nagapasa boats, we can hypothesize that the Indonesian government is in the process of switching from DSME to Naval Group. This would involve PT PAL  producing licensed Scorpenes in a similar manner to the Scorpenes being licence built at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in India.  

Recently Asia Times reported that Indonesia would drop the Chang Bogos, and for 2023 the Indonesian Defense Ministry has requested funding/loans for the procurement of two AIP submarines of 1,800 tons and 2,800 tons displacement. Whether the AIP submarines might be Scorpenes (with newly developed AIP) or TKMS Type 214s (known for their fully operational AIP) is unclear.

Shawn Chung
May 31, 2023