Indonesia Shops for Submarines
By
Yeremia Sukoyo on 10:55 am December 7, 2013.
Kilo Class Submarine.
The Defense Ministry is planning to send a special team to Russia to check on the condition of the Russian-made Kilo Class submarines before deciding to purchase them.
Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said Indonesia was faced with two options in strengthening its naval fleet, either by procuring used submarines from Russia, or buying new ones from South Korea.
“This is a form of further cooperation between Indonesia and Russia. We will send a team from the navy to see the condition of the submarines,” Purnomo said in his office on Friday.
He said his ministry was still considering the options, adding that every option had its cost consequences.
“We will send a team first to check on the physical condition, to check the first option. If we decide to choose new submarines, it would certainly involve different costs,” Purnomo said.
He said defense at sea was crucial for the country and that the decision to strengthen the submarine fleet was based on recommendations by the Indonesian Navy.
“We have three alkis [archipelagic sea-lane passages]. In the east, the alki is divided into three branches. There are funnels to enter the Indonesian islands. In the south there are five funnels or entries,” he explained.
Purnomo said the waters surrounding Indonesia’s eastern islands were deep, which suits submarine operations.
He said the Defense Ministry was also prioritizing the procurement of submarines with the ability to operate ballistic missiles.
Navy chief Adm. Marsetio said the country currently had two German-made submarines and that it has recently built three new submarines in cooperation with South Korea.
But Marsetio said Indonesia needed more than double that number to adequately protect its waters.
“Ideally we need at least 12 submarines to defend the Indonesian waters. But we will adjust it with the state’s budget,” he said.
Purnomo said the Russian-made submarines were advanced in terms of their guided missile technology and that they could launch missiles from below surface up to 400 kilometers away.
“The submarine is called the Kilo Class. We have two options, which are to purchase used submarines and modify them, or to buy new ones,” he said.
Purnomo denied that the cooperation was related to the intelligence information leaked by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, who received temporary asylum from the Russian government.
“Oh no, it’s not related [with Snowden] because we have explored this cooperation for four years,” he said.
Purnomo said his ministry still had enough funds in its budget to pay for the purchase.
“The remaining budget from the cabinet is still sufficient,” he said.
The Defense Ministry said last year that Indonesia was planning to more than double its submarine fleet by 2020.
Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Hartind Asrin said the submarines would be a vital component in the defense of Indonesia’s maritime borders.
“[Our] enemies will fear us when we have them, because they are beneath the surface, invisible,” Hartind said.
Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro says Indonesia has to decide whether to buy used Russian submarines, or new ones from South Korea. EPA Photo/Bagus Indahono
Indonesia Shops for Submarines - The Jakarta Globe
RI looks to Russia for
submarines with multi-role
missile systems
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Headlines | Sat, December 07 2013, 12:25 PM
Looking to Russia: Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro (right) and Navy chief of staff Adm. Marsetio (left) address the media in Jakarta on Friday to discuss the government’s plan to buy three submarines from Russia. (JP/Jerry Adiguna)
Indonesia is in talks with Russia on the purchase of a number of Kilo Class submarines, as the country expands its deterrent capabilities in anticipation of future regional disputes.
Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said on Friday that a team of officials, led by Navy chief of staff Adm. Marsetio, would head to Russia at the end of this month to initiate a deal and assess the technical capabilities of the arsenal.
“There is a plan for a massive build-up of our submarine fleet,” Purnomo said in a press conference after an hour-long closed-door meeting with Russian Ambassador to Indonesia and ASEAN Mikhail Galuzin.
Purnomo said he could not provide more details as the ministry was still awaiting reports filed by Marsetio regarding his planned visit to Russia. “Further to his report, we can then decide whether to buy new submarines or modernize
used ones.”
According to Marsetio, Indonesia required “at least one submarine to cover each sea choke point” (a strategic narrow point of passage).
He said in total, the country needed a minimum of 12 submarines, as laid out in the Defense Ministry’s Minimum Essential Force strategy.
The ministry refused to detail the allocated budget for the submarines.
Between 2008 and 2013, defense spending has increased by an average 22 percent to Rp 81.5 trillion this year, according to the Finance Ministry. The budget is slated to rise to Rp 83.5 trillion next year.
The planned submarine purchase will be in addition to the three U-209 submarines currently being built by South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) and state-owned shipyard PT PAL Indonesia.
The three submarines will be delivered between 2015 and 2016, and will add to the existing two Kilo Class submarines procured in 1978 from the former West Germany.
Purnomo said the ministry’s interest in Russian submarines was based on their advanced cruise-missile system, with which they can accurately target an object at a range of 300 to 400 kilometers.
Submarines are known to be effective war machines that can act as a deterrent because of their capacity for stealth.
The ministry is also considering a number of weaponry options to be fitted on the existing submarines, such as procuring the Klub-S missile system, as well as fitting them with the supersonic, anti-ship Yakhont missile.
Indonesia has a long history of operating submarines from the former Soviet Union, now Russia. In 1967, it acquired 12 Whiskey Class submarines from the Soviet Union.
The new submarines may well be housed at a newly established naval base in Palu, Central Sulawesi, of which only 2.8 hectares of its total 13 hectares have so far been developed.
Natural protection against extreme ocean currents is also considered to be a necessary requirement for a submarine base.
The Palu Naval Base will in the future not only serve as a forward base but also a main naval base.
In response to whether the submarines had anything to do with the current spat with Australia, Purnomo diplomatically said: “We never mentioned in our defense white paper that there will be any threat from the South [namely, Australia]”.
The government recently suspended its cooperation with Australia in the areas of military and defense, joint-patrols against people smuggling, as well as intelligence and information sharing, resulting in the two nations’ relations plunging to their lowest level since the late 1990s.
The souring of relations was triggered last month by allegations that Australia’s intelligence agency had eavesdropped on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife and Cabinet ministers in 2009.
RI looks to Russia for submarines with multi-role missile systems | The Jakarta Post