The Indonesian Navy is planning to develop unmanned underwater vehicles with domestic defense firms to strengthen surveillance across the country’s vast maritime territory.
Chief of Staff Admiral Muhammad Ali said the program would sharpen monitoring of strategic chokepoints, including the Indonesian Archipelagic Sea Lanes linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
The unmanned submersibles would conduct surveillance, help detect unauthorized movements by foreign vessels, and collect oceanographic data on seabed contours, tides, and currents.
“Underwater technology is advancing rapidly,” Ali said. “The Indonesian Navy continues to study ways to utilize underwater drones to support surveillance and reconnaissance operations in our maritime territory.”
Deep-Water Capability Gap
Indonesia expects the unmanned platforms to maintain persistent surveillance over high-risk chokepoints at lower cost and with less danger to personnel than conventional crewed vessels.
However, observers noted that domestic industry still lacks some of the specialized technology required for advanced deep-water mapping.
The challenge is compounded by the sharp differences between Indonesia’s western and eastern waters.
Marapi Consulting analyst Alman Helvas Ali urged Jakarta to pursue international defense partnerships and technology-transfer agreements while domestic capabilities mature.
“In the western region, our seas tend to be shallow, whereas the eastern region consists of deep waters,” Alman said, emphasizing that updated oceanographic data remains vital to the effective deployment of Indonesia’s submarine and surface fleets.
