Steel Cut for the Second Indonesian Red White Frigate

Indonesia’s defense ministry has announced the commencement of the construction of the second Red White (“Merah Putih”) frigate for the country’s navy at the PT PAL Indonesia Commercial Ship Division Fabrication Workshop, Surabaya, on June 5.

"The ship that is being built is the largest Combat Frigate ship built at PT PAL, even in Indonesia," said TNI Rear Marshal Yusuf Jauhari.

A contract for two Red White frigates based on Babcock’s Arrowhead 140 design was signed between Indonesian defense ministry and PT PAL in April 2020. In September 2021, the shipyard signed a design license agreement with Babcock that enabled PT PAL to build two Arrowhead 140-based frigates locally.

Babcock’s Arrowhead 140 design, based on the Danish Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate, is currently under production for three navies: British Type 31 program, Poland's Miecznik program, and Indonesia's Red White frigate program.

The first steel cutting of the first Indonesian frigate was conducted on December 9, 2022.

The first and second frigate are expected to be delivered in 57 months and 69 months, respectively, from the effective contract date.

The Red White Frigate is 140 meters long and 19.75 meters wide, with a full load displacement of 6,626 tons. It has a maximum speed of 28 knots and can remain at sea for 21 days, covering a range of 9,000 nautical miles with a crew of 143 personnel. PT PAL announced in 2021 that the frigate will use a Combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) propulsion system, achieving 28 knots at full load and 9,000 nautical miles endurance at 18 knots. It will feature a 24-cell vertical launching system (VLS) for medium-range surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), a 32-cell VLS for long-range SAMs, and a 16-cell VLS for surface-to-surface missiles (SSMs). The design includes two 76 mm naval gun systems by Leonardo, fitted forward. The combat management system (CMS) may be supplied by Turkish company Havelsan, likely including Turkish radar systems. Local rumors suggest MBDA ASTER surface-to-air missiles and Indian Brahmos anti-ship missiles, though this is unconfirmed.