PARIS (Reuters) – 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.
(Reporting by Inti Landauro; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
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