04 August 2023

Indonesia validates post-upgrade missile capabilities of Bung Tomo frigate

by Ridzwan Rahmat

An Exocet MM40 Block 3 missile launched from KRI John Lie in the Java Sea on 31 July. (Indonesian Navy Armada I)

The Indonesian Navy has marked the first firing of an Exocet MM40 Block 3 missile from a Bung Tomo-class frigate, validating the upgrade works that have been carried out on the ship.

The firing was carried out by second-of-class KRI John Lie as part of a sinking exercise (SINKEX) in the Java Sea on 31 July. The exercise involved three other Indonesian Navy warships and two Indonesian Air Force F-16 aircraft.

The F-16s deployed four M117/MK-12 general-purpose bombs against the SINKEX target, a decommissioned Ahmad Yani-class frigate that was in service as KRI Slamet Riyadi . The ship was retired in August 2019 after 33 years in service with the Indonesian Navy.

Also striking the ship during the exercise was a C-705 anti-ship missile deployed from second-of-class KCR-60M attack craft KRI Tombak and a C-802 anti-surface munition launched from another Ahmad Yani-class frigate, KRI Yos Sudarso .

A representative from the Indonesian Navy's Armada I told Janes the firing validates the functions of the newly installed fire-control and combat management systems on John Lie .

The Block 3 variant of the Exocet missile can achieve a longer effective range, given its ability to strike targets as far as 108 n mile away. The MM40 Block 2's maximum range is 40.5 n mile.

The Bung Tomo class has demonstrated its ability to deploy the Block 2 variant of the missile in past SINKEXs, the earliest of which took place in 2015.

Besides John Lie

The Indonesian Navy has marked the first firing of an Exocet MM40 Block 3 missile from a Bung Tomo-c...

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