DSA 2016: Indonesia selects Type 730 CIWS for KCR-60M attack craft

Ridzwan Rahmat, Kuala Lumpur - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
18 April 2016


The Type 730 CIWS on the TNI-AL's Kapitan Pattimura-class corvette, KRI Sultan Thaha Syaifuddin. The vessel was used as a platform to evaluate the Type 730's effectiveness. The weapon system has now been selected for the first the TNI-AL's first two KCR-60M-class attack craft. Source: TNI-AL

Key Points

• Indonesia has selected a Chinese-made close-in weapon system for two of its three KCR-60M-class ships
• Contract signals a growing adoption of Chinese-made weapons on Indonesian naval platforms

The Indonesian Navy (Tentara Nasional Indonesia - Angkatan Laut, or TNI-AL) has selected the Chinese-developed Type 730 close-in weapon system (CIWS) for the first two of three KCR-60M-class missile attack craft, an industry source told IHS Jane's at the DSA 2016 exhibition in Kuala Lumpur on 18 April and this was corroborated with TNI-AL contacts that are close to the matter.

The vessels, KRI Sampari (628) and KRI Tombak (629) will each be fitted with one stern-facing Type 730 turret that will replace two 20 mm guns currently mounted on the platforms. Sampari and Tombak are currently scheduled to undergo a refit, which will include the installation of these weapons, at PT PAL's premises in Surabaya in September 2016.

The Type 730 CIWS is a radar-guided, seven-barrelled Gatling gun-style system that provides a defensive capability against anti-ship missiles and precision-guided munitions. Variants of the weapons are currently in use with a number of People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warships including the Type 051C (Luzhou), Type 052B (Luyang I), and Type 052C (Luyang II) destroyer classes, and the Type 054A Jiangkai II-class guided-missile frigates.

Also scheduled for the refit in September is the installation of a Chinese-developed combat management system (CMS) that will be linked to the platform's 57 mm main gun, CIWS and missile launcher systems. The TNI-AL has decided to deploy the Chinese-made C-705 surface-to-surface missiles on the service's KCR-60M platform.