New details have emerged about Very Light Attack Craft (Kapal Serang Sangat Ringan/KSSR), developed by PT PAL Indonesia following the Indonesian Defence Minister’s visit to the company’s shipyard in Surabaya, East Java, on 27 October.
Neither PT PAL nor the Ministry of Defence have released detailed specifications for the KSSR, including the type and origin of the craft’s sensors and weapon systems.
However, brief information visible in official Indonesian Navy footage of the minister’s visit provides the first indications of the craft’s dimensions, configuration, and operating concept. Separate official reporting on the visit confirmed that the minister inspected the KSSR.
The KSSR measures 18 meters in length and 4 meters in beam, with a hull made from composite material, and is designed in at least four configurations: surface-to-surface missile (SSM), torpedo, surface-to-air missile (SAM), and drone carrier variants. Moreover, all four configurations are shown with a .50 calibre machine gun mounted at the bow.
The SSM version can carry four missiles in two twin launchers, while the torpedo version can carry four light torpedoes. It is unclear which version was shown during the defence minister’s visit.
Another notable feature is the KSSR’s remote-operation capability. Information shown during the visit indicates that operators can remotely control both the craft and its onboard weapon systems, with a single control station able to operate up to six KSSR. This configuration indicates that PT PAL is developing the KSSR with distributed or potentially swarm-style operations in mind, rather than only as a conventional crewed fast attack craft.
The Indonesian Ministry of Defence has not disclosed how many KSSRs it plans to acquire, while PT PAL has not announced a production target or timeline. However, if the KSSR is intended to support unmanned swarm tactics, the ministry would likely need to procure the craft in relatively large numbers.
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