In 2021, the budget for the Indonesian Armed Forces was increased by 11 percent to 136 trillion Indonesian rupiah ($9.2b), following budget cuts in 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.Īt the time the KRI Nanggala-402 sank, the Indonesian Navy had ordered three additional submarines from South Korea, with the aim of operating a fleet of eight submarines by 2024. “It is also concentrating on rejuvenating its defence equipment on submarines, frigates, and aircraft and helicopters for the Navy’s Aviation Centre”. “The Navy is modernising its warships, which is being done out of consideration for the number of very old warships in use in the fleet, many of which were made during the Cold War,” he told Al Jazeera. Gilang Kembara of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), an Indonesian think-tank that focuses on strategic, political, security and economic affairs, says the Indonesian Navy launched its Minimum Essential Force Strategy in 2010 with a view to updating and upgrading its equipment by 2024.
Indonesia began to modernise its equipment in 2007. Over the years, Indonesia has imported military equipment from more than 20 countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, Russia and South Korea. The sinking of the KRI Nanggala-402, which was built in 1977 in Germany and bought by the Indonesian Navy in 1981, has prompted questions about the overall quality of Indonesia’s defence equipment, most of which is sourced from abroad. it was announced this week that some ‘debris’ had been recovered Īn underwater crater filled with mud has also been discovered by the search teams, and Isnurwanto said that it was possible that the main section of the submarine was lodged in the crater, along with the bodies of the crewmen. A video showing what is believed to be the sunken Indonesian Navy KRI Nanggala-402 submarine. They estimate that the main platform weighs approximately 18 tonnes, so it turns out they were unable to lift it ” he said. “Several times, the Tan Suo-2 has tried to lift the bow or the bridge.
He added that raising any parts of the submarine would be a difficult task. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Rear Admiral Iwan Isnurwanto said that items from the KRI Nanggala-402 have been recovered including torpedo cables, technical manuals, life rafts and metal plates from the outside of the vessel but that the salvage operation had yet to locate the main body of the ship. It is thought that the submarine – with 53 crew on board – suffered a mechanical failure and sank to a depth of more than 840 metres (2,755 feet), well below its crush depth of 300 metres (984 feet), causing it to break into three pieces. Rescuers have so far been unable to locate the main body of the stricken vessel which sank on April 21 while conducting live-fire torpedo exercises. Surabaya, Indonesia – As Indonesian authorities announced this week that a salvage operation involving Chinese underwater rescue vessels had managed to recover “debris” from the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine, which sank off the coast of Bali last month, questions have been raised about the state of the country’s military and its operational readiness.
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