Paris, France (Agencies) – The Indonesian Navy signed a contract to buy two "Scorpene" submarines made by French state-owned shipyard Naval Group, the company said on Tuesday on its website without disclosing the contract's value.

The two 72 m (78.74 yard) submarines will be made in Indonesia, which has recently signed other major arm supplies with French companies, Naval Group said in a statement. The Asian country ordered 42 Dassault-made Rafale fighter jets in 2022.

The 31-crew "Scorpene" submarines have six launch pads, a capacity of 18 torpedoes and missiles and 12-day underwater autonomy, according to the company.

The broader defence partnership between France and Indonesia is part of what Paris views as its response in the Indo-Pacific region to a new strategic alliance between the United States, Britain and Australia called AUKUS, forged in 2021.

Earlier this year, Prabowo signed a contract for the last batch of 18 Rafale fighter-jets, which is expected to be delivered in early 2026.

Indonesia signed contracts for six Rafale in September 2022 and another 18 in August 2023, after scrapping a plan to buy Sukhoi SU-35 jets from Russia due to the threat of US sanctions over Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Source: https://www.thejakartapost.com/world/2024/04/03/indonesia-buys-two-submarines-from-france.htm