Indonesia's contract for two Scorpene Evolved SSKs enters into force

Indonesia's contract with Naval Group for two Scorpene Evolved submarines, which derive its main design from the Scorpene SSK seen here at sea, has now come into force. (Naval Group)

The contract signed between French shipbuilder Naval Group and the Indonesian Ministry of Defence (MoD) for two Scorpene Evolved diesel-electric submarines (SSKs) in 2024 has now come into force.

A statement issued by the shipbuilder on 23 July noted that the contract came into force on the same day, although no explanation was provided on what this milestone entails.

The milestone to mark a contract coming into force is a unique feature of Indonesian contracts and typically means that the purchaser has met its obligations to provide an initial down payment for the acquisition.

Naval Group first announced in April 2024 that it had secured a contract to supply two lithium-ion battery-equipped Scorpene Evolved SSKs to the Indonesian Navy.

The contract will be fulfilled via a transfer-of-technology arrangement with Indonesian shipbuilder PT PAL and the two SSKs will be fully built in Indonesia at PT PAL's facilities in Surabaya.

In its statement to announce the coming into force of the contract, Naval Group said that since the contract was signed, it has been engaging with the Indonesian MoD and a PT PAL-led consortium in several activities including design, planification, and the purchase of long lead time items.

“In the coming weeks, PT PAL welders will be welcomed in France to follow specific on-job training and around 50 experts will be based in Indonesia to train more than 400 Indonesian engineers in submarine construction,” the shipbuilder added.