Indonesia has confirmed its commitment to building two Scorpene-class submarines, which were ordered from France in 2024. According to Army Recognition, on July 25, 2025, in an article titled "Indonesia Turns to Scorpene Submarines to Assert Its Maritime Power in the Indo-Pacific," the contract was announced on July 23, 2025, and construction of the Scorpene-class submarines will soon begin. The accelerated construction of the Scorpene submarines is due to several factors. According to Army Recognition, one of them is the condition of Indonesia's submarines, which require rapid rejuvenation. Indonesia's current submarine fleet primarily consists of four Nagapasa-class submarines, built with South Korean support. These submarines are now showing signs of aging and face modernization challenges. Through the Scorpène Evolved program, Indonesia seeks to meet short-term operational needs while simultaneously laying the foundation for a self-sufficient and resilient naval industry capable of developing and producing advanced systems over the long term. This dual objective reflects a clear intention to consolidate technological capabilities and national control over maritime security in the Indo-Pacific.
These diesel-electric submarines, equipped with lithium-ion batteries, will be entirely designed, assembled, and operated in Indonesia. This development reflects Jakarta's shifting strategic ambition to build comprehensive national capabilities in submarine construction and lifecycle management. In the long term, the operation, maintenance, and support of these platforms will be handled by Indonesian personnel, strengthening national operational control and creating thousands of skilled jobs. According to The Asia Live, on July 24, 2025, in an article titled "Indonesia Races Against Time: Accelerated Development of the Emerging Scorpene Submarine to Enhance Naval Power," the submarine construction project has also been accelerated by Indonesia. Indonesia has cut the project from an initial eight-year timeline to just five. This unprecedented acceleration, mandated by President Prabowo Subianto earlier this year, is expected to redefine the direction of Indonesia's naval development and reshape Southeast Asia's maritime security calculations. This ambitious direction comes at a time when undersea dominance in the Indo-Pacific has assumed immense importance amidst expanding military footprints, overlapping territorial claims, and increasingly assertive maneuvers by regional and global naval powers.
"This request has suddenly become a major challenge that must be addressed together," said Rear Admiral (Ret.) Wiranto, Project Director of PT PAL, Indonesia's state-owned shipbuilder. According to his statement, Wiranto emphasized the President's desire for the Scorpene submarine to be delivered within three years. ahead of schedule. "Several months ago, the President asked the team, namely the team from PT PAL and our partners from Naval Group, to accelerate this project by three years," he explained. The initial 96-month (eight-year) construction plan for the two submarines, signed on March 28, 2024, between the Indonesian Ministry of Defense and the French Naval Group. However, it is now being re-evaluated to meet the new five-year deadline. With both submarines to be built domestically at PT PAL's facility in Surabaya, this is the most technologically advanced and timely naval program ever undertaken by Indonesia.
