“PAL currently has several ongoing warship constructions from the Indonesian Navy,” PAL president director Budiman Saleh said in Jakarta over the weekend on the sidelines of the contract signing between PAL and state-owned credit insurance firm Askrindo.

The ships being constructed include four fast missile boats (KCR) worth Rp 4 trillion (US$300 million), two missile destroyer escorts (PKR) worth Rp 7 trillion and three submarines worth $1.2 billion per unit, he added.

Two KCR, KRI Sampari and Tombak, have been weaponized, and one submarine is slated to be completed by the end of this year, Budiman said

Even though PAL prioritizes Alutsista orders from the Navy, the company would also try to expand its foothold in the international market.

Budiman said after the first foreign order from the Philippines, PAL had gotten orders from several other countries. The orders came from several ASEAN members as well as from African nations, such as Nigeria, Senegal, Guyana-Bissau and Gabon.

“We are currently targeting orders from Malaysia and Thailand, as well as African countries,” Budiman said, adding that PAL was currently seeking to export two warships to Malaysia valued at $170 million each. (bbn)

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