Surabaya, East Java (ANTARA) – The state-owned shipbuilder, PT PAL Indonesia, informed that the development of the Scorpene Evolved-class submarine for the Indonesian Navy has entered the pre-production stage, as an effort to strengthen the national maritime defense.”Amid growing rivalry among major world powers in the ASEAN region, a strong defense industry gives Indonesia strategic leverage in maintaining regional stability while strengthening its position as a respected maritime nation in the region,” PT PAL President Director Kaharuddin Djenod remarked in a statement on Monday.He outlined that these stages include design readiness, production systems, human resource development, and supporting infrastructure to ensure submarine construction meets targets and international quality standards.Furthermore, the collaboration with French Naval Group in this development is aimed at empowering technology transfer and knowledge transfer to support the program's success and enhance the capabilities of the national defense industry.”The pre-production stage is a series of technical preparations before the main production process begins,” Djenod explained.According to him, the construction of the Scorpene Evolved submarine is a significant milestone for the national defense industry, as Indonesia is the first ASEAN country with the ability to build its own submarines, including the development of submarines with Advanced and Improved Propulsion (AIP) technology.He further added that dozens of PT PAL engineers were dispatched to Cherbourg, France, to participate in a transfer of technology (ToT) program with Naval Group as part of skills improvement in building modern, global-standard submarines.He added that the program is designed to support PT PAL in producing and qualifying the first pilot hull subsection during the initial phase of Scorpene Evolved development.”Meanwhile, the fabrication process for the qualification section has begun and was officially marked on December 12, 2025, in Surabaya,” he added.Vincent Vimont, Director of the SRI Naval Group Program, also stated that collaboration with PT PAL is a key part of developing Indonesia’s national defense industry capabilities in a sustainable way.