REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BATAM -- Navy chief of staff Admiral Marsetio said a navy technical team would be sent to Russia to study a submarine offer.

"In January 2014, a technical team would leave for Russia to study that country's offer to sell submarines to Indonesia," Marsetio said here on Friday.

He said Indonesia does need more submarines to safeguard the country's sovereignty from the sea.

He said seas make up two third of the country's territory, therefore, ideally the country would need at least 12 units of submarine.

"If Indonesia is to buy the Russian submarines, the country would be the first in Asia to have kilo class submarines," he said.

Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said currently negotiation is underway with Russia on the offer to sell kilo class submarines.

"We would prefer ones equipped with Club S guided missiles that could hit a target 400 kilometers away," Purnomo said.

Club S guided missile is launched from under the water surface with a floating target, he said.

"This type of war equipment is a killer missile which has a firing range of 400 kilometers," he added.

He said the units of submarine Indonesia wants to buy must be suitable for the country's eastern regions, which have deep seas.

"The type most suitable for the western part of the country is guided missile speed boat (KCR) measuring 40-60 meters, but they must have modern weapons," he said.

He said Indonesia plans to build up to 40 units of KCR until 2024 to meet the navy's requirement in western part of the country.

Purnomo and a number of senior officials of the Headquarter of the Indonesian National Military (TNI) attended the ceremony commissioning three units of navy ships here on Friday.

The three new war ships are KRI Alamang 644, which is a 40-meter KCR, and two other navy ships - Bireuen II-1-63 (KAL Bireun) and Kumai I-6-58 each 28 meter long.

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