Jakarta, July 3 -- State-owned shipbuilder PT PAL Indonesia, in collaboration with French defense company Naval Group, has officially begun the physical construction of two Scorpene-class submarines.

The project entered the steel-cutting phase in July 2026, two months ahead of the original September schedule.

PT PAL Indonesia Production Director Diana Rosa said in a press release on Thursday (July 2) that the early start was made possible after the company successfully completed the qualification phase.

The verification process confirmed that PT PAL's human resources, manufacturing processes, production facilities, and quality control systems comply with international standards for submarine construction.

"This program is a long-term ...