Indonesia buys two Scorpene submarines from French industrialist Naval Group
Indonesia ordered two Scorpène class submarines from the industrial Naval Group on Tuesday April 2. Beyond a new success for the French defense industry, this contract also makes it possible to strengthen links with a key country in the Indo-Pacific, a region where France aims to play a role.
14 units of the Scorpène have already been sold in Brazil, Chile, Malaysia and India (illustrative photo). © Punit Paranjpep / AFP
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With now 16 units sold, the Scorpène submarine is the best-seller of the
French
Naval Group. The navies of Brazil, India, Chile, Malaysia and now that of Indonesia are equipped with them.
Indonesia
has ordered two Scorpène submarines from Naval Group, which will be built in the shipyard of the Indonesian company PT PAL, the naval defense manufacturer announced
in
a press release on Tuesday.
This success reinforces the defense cooperation concluded between Paris and Jakarta three years ago. In addition to submarines, Indonesia is equipped with Rafale fighter planes, and surveillance of its airspace is ensured by radars from the Thalès group. In a tweet, Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu welcomed a “
sign of confidence from our partner
”.
Indonesia chooses @navalgroup for the construction of two Scorpene-class submarines, through an industrial partnership with @PTPAL_INDONESIA.
A sign of confidence from our partner: I thank my counterpart @prabowo, recently elected President of the Republic 🇮🇩. pic.twitter.com/sVaiTM2cde
— Sébastien Lecornu (@SebLecornu) April 2, 2024
“
Indonesia has chosen a capable, sea-proven submarine that will strengthen the country’s maritime sovereignty. In addition to submarines, our strategic partnership with PT PAL will also allow the Indonesian defense industry to actively prepare for the future of naval combat
,” said Naval Group CEO Pierre-Eric Pommellet, quoted in the communicated.
Develop a strategic partnership
The strategic partnership with this immense archipelago of 17,000 islands continues to strengthen. Indonesia has increased its contracts with French defense manufacturers in recent years. Last year, the country acquired
13 military radars
for airspace surveillance. The Scorpène submarines will be built in Indonesia thanks to a transfer of know-how and technology from Naval Group.
Since the Aukus affair
, which saw Paris being ousted from the Australian submarine market in favor of the United States and Great Britain, France has insisted that it is, thanks to New Caledonia, Polynesia and the island of Reunion, a nation bordering the Indo-Pacific and which it does not intend to make up the figure in this strategic region. The successes of its defense industry in Indonesia are, therefore, likely to reinforce this ambition.
Read alsoThe Netherlands chooses the French Naval Group to build four submarines
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