PAL Indonesia, French Naval Group ink MoU on submarine building

E Java, February 11 (ANTARA) - State-owned shipbuilder PT PAL Indonesia and French Naval Group signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on submarine building and research programs to fortify Indonesia's maritime defense. The cooperation was an important historical event for the two countries, as the French government had been serious in supporting efforts to improve Indonesia's main defense equipment development capability, CEO of PT PAL Indonesia Kaharuddin Djenod noted on Thursday (Feb 10). "And we, PT PAL Indonesia, are proud to be an important part of this historic moment," Djenod noted in a press release. As per Presidential Regulation No. 16 of 2017 on the Indonesian Maritime Policy, in a bid to make Indonesia a global maritime axis, it must become a maritime country that is sovereign, advanced, independent, strong, and capable of contributing positively to world security and peace. "In this case, PAL, as a strategic maritime defense industry, supports the realization of these ideals through mastery of the maritime defense technology," he affirmed. The MoU was signed at the Ministry of Defense in Jakarta and witnessed by Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto, the CEO and members of the PAL BoD, French Minister of Defense, Florence Parly, the CEO of the Naval Group, and several other stakeholders. Prabowo affirmed that the research and development cooperation on submarines would lead to the purchase of two Scorpene submarines, with AIP technology and weapons. As part of the transfer of technology, the Scorpene type submarine will be entirely built at PAL and will optimize the capabilities of PAL's human resources with the assistance of the Naval Group. The cooperation between PT PAL and the Naval Group is also part of a defense equipment modernization program being implemented by the Indonesian Ministry of Defense in an effort to strengthen the defense capabilities of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) for the subsequent two decades by strengthening the defense fleet, especially the Navy (AL). CEO of the Naval Group Pierre Eric Pommellet welcomed the Indonesian defense minister's statement regarding cooperation in the submarine sector between PT PAL and the Naval Group. "We have signed a memorandum of understanding for this purpose and look forward to working together on the submarine program to meet the needs of the Indonesian Navy as well as to strengthen the marine defense industry in Indonesia through PAL," he emphasized.