Indonesian President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo inspects the country’s first domestically assembled submarine, KRI Alugoro 405, at state-owned ship maker PT PAL Indonesia headquarters in Surabaya, East Java on Monday. PRESIDENTIAL PALACE PRESS BUREAU ine.
Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo departed for East Java on Monday to inspect the country’s first domestically assembled submarine, KRI Alugoro 405.
Jokowi and his entourage departed on the presidential aircraft from Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in East Jakarta on Monday at 8:15am, according to a statement.
Upon arrival at Juanda International Airport in Sidoarjo regency, Jokowi visited state-owned ship maker PT PAL Indonesia, where he inspected the brand-new submarine.
KRI Alugoro 405, which was assembled and completed in the country in June last year, is the third product to have been realised in the first batch of the ongoing $1.1 billion partnership between PAL Indonesia and South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME).
“I think this is good collaboration because there is a transfer of technology in the assembly of our Alugoro submarine,” Jokowi said during the visit, adding that he hoped the nation could soon fully develop and assemble its submarines.
The 61.3m-long KRI Alugoro 405 can hold 40 crew members and cruise for up to 50 days. With a speed of 11 knots when surfaced and 21.5 knots when under water, the submarine can roam for 18,520km. The lifespan of the 1,460-tonne vessel is projected to be 30 years, according to PT PAL.
The two other submarines, KRI Nagapasa 403 and KRI Ardadedali 404, were built and completed in South Korea in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
“The success of assembling the Alugoro submarine has made Indonesia the only country in Southeast Asia to build a submarine,” the State Palace said in the statement.
KRI Alugoro 405 underwent a nominal diving depth (NDD) test in North Bali waters on January 21, which is part of the mandatory sea acceptance evaluation. According to the information on PT PAL’s website, the NDD went according to plan, as the sub was able to go 250m under the surface.
PAL Indonesia submarine division head Satriyo Bintoro said in a statement that the NDD phase was crucial to determining that 90 per cent of the construction project had been completed.
After the inspection, Jokowi took a look at the ongoing overhaul of the submarine KRI Cakra 401 at PAL Indonesia. He also held a private meeting with his ministers and aides regarding the primary weapons defence systems development policy.
The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network
