Indonesia conducts first firing of Exocet MM40 Block 3 from SIGMA corvette

The Indonesian Navy's Diponegoro (SIGMA)-class corvette,KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda , conducted a firing of the Exocet MM40 Block 3 missile on 7 September 2019. (TNI-AL)

In a demonstration of its latest anti-surface capabilities, the Indonesian Navy (Tentara Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Laut: TNI-AL) has conducted its first firing of an Exocet MM40 Block 3 missile from a Diponegoro (SIGMA)-class corvette.

The firing, which was conducted from third-of-class KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda (367), took place in the Java Sea on 7 September. It was conducted as part of a joint Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) training activity known as Exercise ‘Yudha Dharma’ 2019.

The service has conducted firings with Block 2 variants of the Exocet MM40 missile from its Diponegoro class in the past, but this is the first time that a Block 3 variant of the weapon is being deployed from the corvette. The latest firing has been carried out to test the TNI-AL’s latest sea control capabilities, the service stated on the same day. It added, “The Exocet MM40 Block 3 guided missile is a strategic weapon for the TNI-AL for it has the ability to attack ships at sea, and also targets that are close to the coastline”.

The target used in the firing was a 63 m coastal tanker that was previously in service as KRI Sambu (902). The tanker, which was decommissioned in August 2019, was located about 40 n miles (74 km) from Sultan Iskandar Muda at the time of firing.

The MM40 Block 3 is the latest installation of the Exocet line from MBDA. The variant features several improvements over previous generations of the weapon, including air-breathing propulsion, and the adoption of a Microturbo TR-40/263 turbojet engine.