JAKARTA - INDONESIA plans to build two diesel-powered submarines early next year at a dock in Surabaya, with technological help from another country, a military official said.
Several countries had been approached and one had agreed to build the submarines on a joint-production basis, Brigadier-General Hartind Asrin, head of communications at the Defence Ministry, was reported as saying on Thursday by news website Vivanews.com
He said the identity of the partner country would be revealed by the end of the year.
The submarines, which would add to the two owned by the navy, would be equipped with the 'latest technology' and be ready within four years, he added.
He did not indicate the size of the vessels but Vivanews said they might be classified as 'mini submarines'.
The Surabaya docks owned by PT PAL Indonesia recently completed the building of two 125m-long landing platform docks with technology transfer from South Korea, Vivanews reported.
Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.
