South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) has launched the first of three Type 209/1400 diesel-electric submarines (SSK) on order for the Indonesian Navy (Tentara Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Laut, or TNI-AL).
The boat was launched on 24 March at DSME’s Okpo shipyard in a ceremony attended by Indonesian defence minister Ryamizard Ryacudu and TNI-AL chief Admiral Ade Supandi. TNI-AL sources have confirmed to IHS Jane’s that the submarine has been given the pennant number 403.
The vessel is part of a KRW1.3 trillion (USD1.1 billion) contract signed between DSME and the Indonesian Defence Ministry in December 2011. Under the contract the first and second vessels are to be built in South Korea, while the third boat will be produced at Indonesian state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL’s premises in Surabaya in a technology transfer arrangement.
According to specifications provided by DSME the Indonesian Type 209, which displaces 1,400 tonnes dived, has a top speed of 21 kt and a maximum operating range of approximately 10,000 n miles at 10 kt while surfaced. The submarine has been designed for a range of missions, including anti-surface warfare (ASuW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), mine laying, and special forces operations, said DSME in a statement on the launch.
The first boat will now undergo sea trials in South Korean waters and is currently scheduled for delivery by March 2017.
Work on the second vessel has begun and all three boats are expected to be delivered by the end of 2018.