Indonesia signs for four Sampari-class Fast Missile Craft

The KCR-60M fast attack craft are a class of domestically designed and built fast missile craft operated by the Indonesian Navy. The ships also known as Sampari-class and all ships built by local company PT PAL in Surabaya, East Java. These ships are made of by aluminium and high tensile steel in hull parts which are also a domestic product obtained from PT Krakatau Steel in Cilegon, Banten. The Indonesian Navy (currently operates a fleet of three KCR-60M vessels, which were commissioned between May and September 2014, and is currently anticipating delivery of a fourth boat that was launched in February 2018.

On 28 December, the Indonesian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has placed an order for four more KCR-60M-class fast attack craft with state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL. A contract for the vessels, worth IDR2,800 trillion (USD195 million). All vessels will be constructed by PT PAL at its facilities in Surabaya. However, unlike contracts for four earlier vessels in the KCR-60M class, the latest order calls for construction work in the ‘fitted-for-but-not-with’ (FFBNW) configuration for all the vessels’ combat effectors including weapons, sensors, and countermeasures systems. KCR 60m is designed by considering the eligibility criteria of the sea as follows: patrol duties until the sea state 3 and operation of the weapon up to sea state 4.

Originally all KCR-60M vessels were equipped with four C-705 anti-ship missiles. But as of 2018, these missiles are installed on the two latest ships. The C-705 from the two earlier ships, KRI Sampari and KRI Tombak were removed to give room for the installation of one NG-18 30 mm CIWS at the rear. The class has an overall length of 59.8 m, an overall beam of 8.1 m, and a hull draught of 2.6 m. Powered by two MTU 20V 4000 M73L diesel engines, the vessel can attain a maximum speed of 28 kt and a maximum range of 2,400 n miles at 20 kt. With its full crew complement of 43, the vessel has an endurance of nine days. The new Sampari-class vessels have a relatively better radar cross section (RCS).