Damen Shipyards, PT PAL Install Combat Systems Aboard Indonesian Sigma Frigate

Damen Shipyards Group and PT PAL have completed the installation of combat systems to the first of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense’s series of SIGMA 10514 Perusak Kawal Rudal (PKR) guided missile frigates, the KRI Raden Eddy Martadinata.

The combat systems installation project’s successful conclusion was marked by a small handover ceremony on the 4thof December at Surabaya, Damen Shipyards said in a statement.

The PKR frigates are constructed via a collaborative modular process operating simultaneously at Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) in the Netherlands and PT PAL shipyard in Indonesia.

The SIGMA 10514 PKR class is a multi-mission platform equipped for anti-ship warfare (AShW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-air warfare (AAW).

Indonesia ordered the two frigates from DSNS in 2012. The contract includes extensive knowledge and technology transfer.

The lead ship, the KRI Raden Eddy Martadinata, was commissioned into the TNI-AL fleet in April 2017. The second ship, named I Gusti Ngurah Rai, was delivered to the navy in November of the same year. Like its preceding sister-ship, the KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai has a length of 105.11 m, width of 14.2 m, a top speed of 28 knots and range of 5,000 nm.

The combat installation and testing phase of PKR construction forms part of the contract's transfer programme, with Damen providing training for the vessel’s crew in the operation and maintenance of all systems installed.

The combat system sea acceptance trials were carried out over a three-week period. During this trail the electronic warfare suite was tested by Thales. This consists of two main systems, an electronic support measure (passive radar receiver), which enables the vessel to record and interpret the various radar signals it receives from the operational environment and an electronic counter measure system – mostly referred to as jammer. These two systems work together with the combat management system – the centre point in the entire web, in order to perform electronic warfare operations.

This was followed by structural firing tests and the alignment of the ship’s sensors and the ship’s guns, done with the support of Rheinmetall to make sure the sensors and weapons are “looking in the same direction”. Exocet surface to surface missile launching system was tested by MBDA France.

The testing of the anti-air warfare (AAW) and anti-surface warfare (ASuW) functional changes, were the last tests in the schedule. This comprises detecting and tracking surface and air targets, measuring the pointing accuracy of the guns at various heights and distances and to evaluate engagements of air and surface targets with various weapon systems. It also included the trials of the degaussing system, used to control the ship’s magnetic signature.

The second Sigma vessel is scheduled to undergo the same installations and testing up to February 2020, and is expected to be completed at the end of April.