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Indonesia's first domestically assembled submarine 'milestone' to boost defense industry
The Alugoro marked a milestone for Indonesia’s domestic defense industry amid demand for modernization of its primary weaponry defense system (alutsista). The manufacturing success has also made Indonesia as the only country in Southeast Asia to build a submarine.
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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (center), joined by several of his Cabinet ministers like Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (left) and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati (second right), listens to an explanation from the president director of state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL, Budiman Saleh (right) during a visit to the company's shipyard in Surabaya, East Java on Jan. 27. (Antara/Zabur Karuru)
I
n Javanese puppet stories, the alugoro was the weapon of Baladewa, the older brother of Kresna, the focal figure in the Hindu Mahabharata epic. The weapon, a gada (club) with two pointy ends, was said to have magnificent and massive destructive power.
The strength of the weapon inspired the name of Indonesia’s first domestically assembled submarine: KRI Alugoro 405.
The submarine, which was completed and launched in June last year, is the third vessel to have been built in an ongoing US$ 1.1 billion partnership between state-owned ship maker PT PAL Indonesia and South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME).
The Alugoro marked a milestone for Indonesia’s domestic defense industry amid demand for modernization of its primary weaponry defense system (alutsista). The government expressed pride that the success of assembling the Alugoro has made Indonesia the only country in Southeast Asia to build a submarine.
The 61.3-meter-long KRI Alugoro 405 is able to hold 40 crew members and cruise for up to 50 days. With a top speed of 11 knots when surfaced and 21.5 knots when underwater, the submarine can roam for 18,520 kilometers. The lifespan of the 1,460-ton 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.
PT PAL had kicked off a trial of the nominal diving depth (NDD) in waters north of Bali on Jan. 21, as part of the mandatory sea acceptance evaluation. The trials are to continue until June before the company officially hands the vessel over to the Defense Ministry to be used by the Indonesian Navy starting in December.
