Russia Opens Up on Drone and Underwater Robot Technology, Indonesia Ready for Localisation
Russia is opening up opportunities for technology cooperation with Indonesia. Beyond trade, the country is offering a number of technologies with potential for development and localisation in Indonesia, ranging from drones for civilian use to underwater robots.
The offer emerged during a meeting between the Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) and Russian Federation Senator Ilyas Umakhanov in Jakarta. Discussions focused on more concrete cooperation opportunities, particularly investment, technology transfer, and joint technology development.
Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said the relationship between Indonesia and Russia needs to move beyond mere trade activity. According to him, technology and investment cooperation can be part of efforts to strengthen national industrial capacity.
“Indonesia views Russia as a strategic partner in building a more advanced and competitive industry,” Agus said in a statement quoted on Monday (24/8/2026).
One of the more attractive offers came from the technology sector. Ilyas said Russia possesses a number of technologies that are considered adaptable to Indonesia’s needs.
Drones for civilian use are among the technologies on offer. In addition, Russia is also opening up opportunities for underwater robotics development, a technology deemed relevant to Indonesia’s conditions as an archipelagic nation.
Other technologies discussed included independent communication systems for emergency conditions and waste processing technology. Regarding waste processing, Russia sees an opportunity to convert waste into reusable resources, including for the agriculture and livestock sectors.
“We hope these technologies can be developed through cooperation and joint localisation in Indonesia,” Ilyas said.
Under this scheme, Russian technology would not simply enter the Indonesian market as finished products. Technologies deemed suitable are expected to be jointly developed and adapted to the needs of domestic industry.
Director General of Resilience, Territory, and International Industrial Access (KPAII) at the Ministry of Industry Tri Supondy said the cooperation opportunities need to generate greater benefits for domestic industry.
According to him, cooperation with Russia can be directed towards investment, technology transfer, and inter-corporate partnerships. In this way, the relationship between the two countries would not stop at buying and selling products.
“Indonesia-Russia cooperation needs to be directed towards things that produce tangible benefits for industry, whether through investment, technology transfer, or partnerships connecting companies from both countries,” Tri said.
The technology discussions form part of further exploration to identify which technologies best suit Indonesia’s needs and have the potential for local development.
This step is also in line with the government’s efforts to increase industrial added value domestically. Rather than simply importing technology from abroad, cooperation is directed so that Indonesian industry also gains knowledge, production capability, and access to technology development.
At the event, Indonesian and Russian companies met through business forums, business matching, and meetings between business actors. A number of cooperation opportunities were then identified, both under Business-to-Business (B2B) and Government-to-Government (G2G) schemes.
For Indonesia, the exploration of drone technology, underwater robots, and waste processing opens up new opportunities in industrial relations with Russia. The challenge now is to determine which technologies truly suit national needs and to ensure that the cooperation leads to the development of domestic industrial capacity.