Indo Defence 2022: PT Tesco launches water-jet-propelled variant of KCR-60M attack craft

A model of PT Tesco's KCR-60M fast attack craft was first unveiled at the Indo Defence 2022 exhibition in Jakarta. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)

Indonesian private shipbuilder PT Tesco Indomaritim (Tesco) has launched a water-jet-propelled variant of the Kapal Cepat Rudal 60 Metre (KCR-60M) fast attack craft (FAC) for the Indonesian Navy.

The matter was confirmed with Janes at the Indo Defence 2022 exhibition, which is taking place in Jakarta from 2 to 5 November.

A contract to build the vessel was awarded by the Indonesian government to Tesco in 2021, said Tesco's director for defence and government sales, Jasni Basuki. However, he was not able to give further details of the contract and the vessel's launch date at the time of publication owing to confidentiality concerns.

According to Basuki, the Tesco variant of the KCR-60M was conceived in-house and features a slightly different design when compared with existing vessels of the type that has been built by PT PAL Indonesia.

A major difference is the vessel's propulsion system – it consists of a single fixed propeller and two Hamilton HT900 water-jets. These are powered by two MTU 16V 4000 M93L and one MTU 16V 4000 M63L diesel engines, respectively.

The existing KCR-60M vessels are each propelled by two fixed pitch propellers.

“Our studies and consultation with the Indonesian Navy indicate that its KCR-60M vessels are operated largely at below cruising speeds,” said Basuki in an interview with Janes . “At these speeds, it is most economical to utilise the propeller. And when it needs to go full speed, all three propulsion systems can be deployed,” he added.